Every Ninja Needs a Sidekick
by PFTones3482
Summary: Second RC:9GN story. When Howard gets kidnapped yet again by McFist, it's up to Randy and Heidi to save him. What will be revealed? What won't? Will they get Howard back? Will you review? You better! Rated for later chapters.
1. Where's Howard?

**CHAPTER 1- I shouldn't be doing this. I really shouldn't. Too much homework, my other story that I'm working on…my life is too complicated. But here I am.**

**SOMEONE FIGURE OUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!**

**Hem. Anyway…don't own Randy Cunningham. This idea has been in my head for a while…lets see what the response is on this. (:**

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Randy Cunningham shut his locker and swung his backpack over his shoulder, letting it dangle by one strap, something his mother would give him grief about when the strap finally ripped. But until then, he would continue to do it.

"So, Howard, ready for some epic grave smashing when we get home?" Randy asked his best friend, a grin on his face.

That is, it was on his face until Howard turned around and shut his own locker, revealing his pale face and swollen eyes. His nose was bright red, and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "Sure thing, Cunningham."

Randy's jaw dropped. "What the juice, Howard, you are so sick! You should go home! Why didn't you say something?"

Howard coughed weakly and leaned heavily against his locker. "Man, the only thing worse than going to school is missing school."

Randy cocked his head. "Not sure I follow, buddy."

Howard sighed. "When you miss school, you have twice as much work to do as if you came to school in the first place."

Randy nodded. "Ah. But Howard, you look miserable. You should really go home. I'll bring your work to you."

Howard sighed wearily and rubbed his face with the palms of his hands. "Ok, ok. Tell Heidi, so that she doesn't look for me at lunch to give me my money."

The teen trudged down the hallway so slowly that Randy thought he was watching his friend walk in slow motion.

The ninja winced and turned the corner, searching the halls for Heidi so he could relay Howard's message. He spotted the girl halfway up the steps, deeply into what looked like "The Catcher in the Rye."

"Heidi!" Randy called, breaking into a jog to catch up with the girl.

She looked up and rolled her eyes in disgust as Randy ran up. "What do you want, Andy?" she asked in annoyance.

Randy slapped his forehead. "It's Randy, Heidi. It's always been Randy, and it always will be Randy."

Heidi groaned and shifted her weight. "Fine. What do you want, _Randy?" _

Randy mock clapped for her. "Very good Heidi! I just wanted to tell you that Howard went home sick."

Heidi's face morphed from annoyance to slight concern. As much as she tried to hide it, she actually cared a lot for her brother, and didn't like it when he got sick, hurt, or bullied. "Is he ok?"

Randy nodded and started backing down the stairs as the bell rang. "He should be fine. Might be the flu. But then again, flu season has been going on for a while. I'm amazed he lasted this long."

Heidi nodded. "Thanks for telling me, Sandy," she said, turning and walking up the steps rapidly.

Randy almost smacked his head against the railing. "RANDY! It's always been RANDY!"

* * *

The day passed by uneventfully, which almost worried Randy. Very little time ever passed between stankings or a robot attack from McFist, so this reprieve made him a little suspicious.

But not so suspicious that he wanted to investigate, of course.

He caught up to Heidi at the end of the day and handed her a stack of homework for Howard. "Tell Howard I said feel better, ok Heidi?"

Heidi rolled her eyes and tucked the papers into her bag. "Whatever Randy," she called over her shoulder as she skipped onto her bus.

Randy had just started toward his bus, when suddenly he spun around and blinked. "Hey! You got my name right!"

Heidi smirked and sank into a seat on the bus, sticking her headphones into her ears and leaning back in the gross rubbery seat to enjoy her music.

After a few minutes, she shut off her TobyMac music (which no one knew about, she was slightly ashamed to say) and skipped off the bus, walking jauntily down the street to her house.

Heidi pressed open the front door and dropped her bag onto the floor. "Mom, I'm home!" she called, tucking her iPod into her pocket and winding her headphones up. "Is Howard feeling better?"

She slipped into the kitchen to find her mother humming tunelessly as she listened to her own music and chopped vegetables. Heidi rolled her eyes and tugged one of the phones out of her mother's ear.

"Hi, Mom," she said pointedly.

Her mother chuckled and dusted off her hands on her apron. "Hi Heidi," she said, brushing a kiss across her daughter's forehead. "How was school?"

Heidi shrugged and snatched a carrot from the chopping board, popping it into her mouth. "Not bad. No monster attacks today, so that was good. How's Howard doing?"

Mrs. Weinerman frowned. "What do you mean, dear?"

Heidi swallowed her carrot and cocked her head. "I mean, how is Howard? Randy said he went home sick early this morning."

Laura Weinerman shook her head. "Honey, Howard never came home. I've been here all day."

Heidi blinked. "He…huh?"

Laura frowned and darted to the phone, starting to panic. "You sure Randy said he would be coming home?"

Heidi nodded. "Yeah, positive. And Randy wouldn't lie. I mean, he and Howard are best friends."

Laura nodded and rapidly dialed a number. "Hi, Susan?" she said, referring to Mrs. Cunningham. "Yeah, is Howard at your house...? Ok. Yes, please keep an eye out for him. Thanks, bye."

She hung up the phone and dialed a few other people in rapid succession, none of them having seen Howard.

Finally, Heidi put a gentle hand on her mother's shoulder. "Mom, maybe…maybe you should call the police," she said softly.

Mrs. Weinerman sighed and slowly dialed the three numbers she had never wanted to dial.

The police showed up five minutes later, and after speaking to Heidi about the last time she had seen Howard, her mother sent her up to her room.

Heidi sank into her bed, staring numbly at her window. This was not happening. Howard was not missing. Her little brother couldn't be….gone.

Heidi realized that she was trembling, and she wrapped her arms tightly around her. A gentle breeze blew through her window, and Heidi frowned.

She never left her window open while she was at school, just in case it started to rain or something.

The girl slowly lifted herself off of her bed and walked over to the window. A piece of paper caught in the sill fluttered, and Heidi froze when she saw her name written on it.

Very slowly, the girl nimbly plucked it from the sill and shut her window firmly, stepping carefully back over to her bed.

She sank onto her cushy comforter and crossed her legs under her, unfolding the note slowly. She read it twice and almost started crying at the impossible task given to her.

_Heidi:_

_We have your brother. We know he knows who the ninja is and just isn't telling us. If you want to see him alive again, you will bring us the ninja. You have exactly twenty four hours from the final bell at the high school today. Don't fail, and don't call the police. We will know, Heidi. Don't push us._

_Twenty four hours. Give or take a few hours. _

_-McFist_

For a second, it blew Heidi's mind that McFist of all people had taken her brother.

Also….did Howard really know who the ninja was? Of course not! And that meant that Heidi had an impossible mission to accomplish.

She gulped back the lump in her throat and tossed the note into her backpack.

She groaned and flopped back lifelessly onto her bed, her shoulders trembling. What was she going to do? Even if she could find the ninja, he would never willingly turn himself in for Howard.

Heidi rolled over and buried her face into her pillow. Poor Howard….what could she do?

Heidi sat up slowly, rubbing the tears away from her eyes. Ok, first of all, what time was it?

She turned to look at the clock and sighed. Good. Only two hours had passed since the final bell. She still had twenty two hours. Not nearly enough time, but it was better than if she had gotten the note that night at ten o'clock or something.

She stood up and started pacing her room slowly. How could she find the ninja?

She couldn't stage a monster attack…that would take too much time. Where would a ninja be? Who would know? He always just vanished.

In fact, Heidi realized that she knew very little about the ninja. The only person she knew who knew almost everything to be known about the ninja was Howard.

Heidi froze mid-stride. And who did Howard do absolutely _everything _with? A smile grew on her face and she grabbed her backpack, tossing her phone and wallet into it.

She sprinted down the stairs, grabbing onto the railing and spinning around it and into the kitchen, where her mother was sitting with two police officers.

"Mom, can I go out?"

Laura looked up with red eyes and Heidi felt bad about asking. Laura sighed. "I suppose, Heidi. It is still light out. But be careful, and call me or come home if you feel even the least bit threatened. Where are you going?"

Heidi was already heading for the door. "Thanks Mom! And I'm going over to the Cunningham's."

* * *

**So, what do you think of it so far? Can you see this happening? Is Heidi out of character at all? Even the slightest?**

**Feedback please! (:**


	2. The Ninja of Norrisville

**CHAPTER 2- Yay! I'm excited about reviews! You all rock!**

**Living Encyclopedia: I love you! You review like every single one of my stories! And no, she didn't figure it out…hem. Yet. **

**Rachealninja10: She would have figured it out eventually. And plus, he's McFist. He isn't the brightest bulb.**

**Guest: Thank you so much! And yes! I have accomplished my "make the world love Phineas and Ferb" goal! Partially….**

**Az The Dragon: Yeah, I was getting kind of sick of that myself. That's why I wrote it. And remember, if Heidi does reveal what McFist really does…well, he knows where she lives, doesn't he?**

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. Darn it. But I will make everyone end up loving it!**

* * *

_Heidi was already heading for the door. "Thanks Mom! And I'm going over to the Cunningham's."_

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Heidi trudged slowly up the Cunningham's front steps, the fire out of her step as she knocked on the door and glanced back at her bike, lying in the grass.

Susan opened it a moment later and sighed. "Oh, Heidi. I'm sorry dear, we were hoping that-"

Heidi held up a hand. "That I'd be Howard. Yeah, I know. I wish I was too, Mrs. Cunningham. Is Randy here?"

Susan smiled thinly. "He's out on the back porch. He's pretty upset about all this. I think he feels responsible. Go on out, honey."

Heidi did just that, stepping onto the back porch to find Randy glaring angrily at his shoes, his fists angrily clenching and unclenching. Heidi coughed softly and Randy whirled around, drop kicking the girl before realizing who it was.

"Heidi!" he yelped, quickly helping her up. "I'm so sorry!"

_Note to self: don't startle Randy Cunningham._

"Yeesh, Randy, a little warning next time," Heidi muttered, rubbing her head.

"I am so sorry!" Randy cried again. He paused, blinked, and smiled slightly. "You just called me Randy."

Heidi waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah."

Heidi sank onto the porch swing, dropping her back pack onto the seat next to her. She sighed and looked away, and the slight rocking of the swing alerted her to the fact that Randy had sat down next to her.

"Heidi? You ok?"

Heidi gave a small smile. "Me? No. My brother's missing. But what about you? Your mom said you blame yourself. What's that all about?"

Randy scowled and clenched his hands again. "I basically forced Howard to go home. If I hadn't…he might not have gone missing. Who knows where he is!"

Heidi winced. It was now or never. "Randy I…I know where Howard is."

Randy's head whipped around so quickly that Heidi was afraid he'd sprained something. His purple hair swung into his eyes before he brushed it away. Said eyes glinted wickedly. "What?"

Heidi winced and glanced away, sliding her hand into her back pack as Randy ranted. "Heidi, you know where he is? Why didn't you tell your mom, or the police?"

"Because I can't!" Heidi groaned desperately.

Randy frowned and his eyes softened. "What do you mean?"

Heidi handed him the note quietly and looked down at her hands, watching him out of the corner of her eye.

Randy studied the ransom note slowly, his eyes hardening, his fingers turning white as they clenched the paper tightly. As soon as he finished the note, he growled and crumpled the note into a tight ball, chucking it to the porch and standing up, his fists clenching and un-clenching.

"You see my problem?" Heidi whispered.

Randy gulped slowly, his eyes looking more sad than angry as he paced in front of the railing. He seemed to be at war with himself about something. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. You need the ninja."

Heidi threw her hands in the air and joined Randy at the porch railing. "That's just it! I don't know the ninja, but I do know that he won't turn himself in for my brother."

Randy snorted harshly after a few minutes of silence. "Yeah he will."

Heidi groaned and buried her head in her hands, resting her elbows lightly on the railing. "How do you know?"

A moment later, she heard Randy mutter something to himself; he audibly gulped, and then a blinding red light filled the porch.

Heidi yelped and covered her eyes rapidly.

"Heidi, I swear I will," Randy said softly, his gentle hand resting on her shoulder.

Heidi looked up and fell back, her heart stopping. "No. No, no, no, no. This is…this is not happening," she whispered.

Randy- no, the_ NINJA,_ - looked at her guiltily. "Heidi," he said softly, reaching a gentle hand out, his ninja suit enveloped fingers clasping anxiously in the air.

Heidi could only stare. Good God, how had she not noticed? The build, the voice, his mannerism….yet she had never figured out the Randy was the ninja.

"You're…you're the ninja," she whispered unnecessarily.

Randy looked away. "Yeah," he said. "And I told you, the ninja will turn himself in for Howard."

Heidi groaned and sank to the floor, clutching the sides of her head with her hands. "Don't you get it Randy? I can't turn you in either!"

Randy blinked, obviously bewildered. "You can't….huh?"

Heidi looked up with tears as Randy removed the mask and returned to his normal self, making the fact that he was the ninja a reality. He sat down next to her warily. "Why not?" he asked softly.

Heidi sighed. "You're not my brother, but you might as well be Howards. You know he would never let you go through with it."

Randy gave a small, nervous chuckle. "Aw, come on Heidi. I'm the ninja. I can get out of there."

Heidi gulped, tears rolling down her cheeks. God, she had never expected this to be so hard. "You don't know that, Randy," she whispered.

Randy winced and looked away, his hair brushing into his eyes as the wind blew. Heidi gulped and glanced away.

She'd never admit it, to anyone; not to her friends, her mom, or even her diary. But she'd always had a small crush on Randy. She'd known him for so long; how could she not? The whole thing about her forgetting his name was just to make him think she didn't care.

But now…Heidi glanced back over at him just as the sun caught the boy's features.

She swallowed. Howard never forgiving her wasn't the only reason she couldn't let Randy turn himself in to McFist.

* * *

Howard scowled and looked up, ignoring the throbbing in his now black eye. "I don't care what the juice you want, McFist!" he yelled. "I'm not giving it to you!"

McFist growled and slammed his hand against the controls. "Viceroy, why does he know it's me?"

Viceroy looked up with a roll of his eyes. "Well, sir, you weren't very discreet when you kidnapped him. After all, you did put him in a bag marked McFist, and stuck him in a McFist limo, and then took him to McFist industries."

Hannibal frowned and punched a button, causing Howard to feel like his arms were being ripped from his sockets. The boy's yells filled the room and Viceroy winced a little. "Hannibal, don't you think you should cool it, so he can calm down and think it over?"

McFist glared at the man, and Viceroy sighed. "Just a thought," he mumbled.

Viceroy glanced away, his eyes drifting to the floor. As much as he wanted to find out who the ninja was, Viceroy didn't enjoy torturing people, especially children. He was barely putting up with this.

"I'll ask you one more time," McFist growled into the microphone that was connected with the speaker system in the torture room, "who is the ninja?"

Howard looked up with his swollen eye and his good eye, murder practically in them. He basically spit at the two men.

"Get this in your honking big skull, McFist," he snarled. "You can torture me all you freaking want. I will never tell you who the ninja is."

With that, he stuck his tongue out and turned his face away from the video monitor.

McFist's face turned bright red and Viceroy jumped up quickly. "Come, Hannibal, let's let him think it over," he said firmly.

This time, McFist agreed and Viceroy quickly shut him out of the room. The man leaned against the door and sighed before darting over to the microphone.

"Howard?" he said softly.

Howard looked up with a glare, and Viceroy could see tears in the boy's eyes. Viceroy gulped. "Howard, listen to me. I don't want you to get hurt. You should really tell us."

Howard scowled. "What, so the ninja can get hurt? No honking way. And if you don't want me to get hurt, why the juice are you letting me? That's totally wonk, Viceroy."

Viceroy stepped back, stunned. It was easy to determine how Howard had learned about McFist; but how Viceroy? The man was very rarely spoken of by anyone.

That could only mean one thing, Viceroy realized.

"You…you do know who the ninja is, don't you?"

Howard froze. "So what if I did? I still wouldn't tell you."

Viceroy sighed wearily. "I'm sorry, kid," he whispered before shutting off the mic and leaving the room.

Howard slumped heavily in his chains, staring around the room through his one good eye.

He was chained by his arms and legs to a wall, and in the room were several robots that had yet to be used on him. Howard knew it wouldn't be long until McFist resorted to those means of torture, however.

He frowned and clenched his fists. And of course, he was still sick. So McFist would be able to use that to his advantage.

Howard shivered and looked down, a tear dripping down his nose. He had to hope that Randy would not think that McFist would have taken him. He planned on protecting the Ninja of Norrisville if it killed him.

Howard had a terrible feeling that it might.

* * *

**I am dark. Well, not really. But sort of. McFist got dark….because he's EVIL. Viceroy…well, you all know that I think Viceroy rocks. **

**And yes, Randy revealed himself that quickly. I feel like if he needed to, he would trust Heidi. And plus, I made it better. *smirk* I don't think I'll have them get together or anything, but I'll definitely put little moments in there.**

**Oh come on! Heidi and Randy would be cute together! (Or Randy with Theresa, or Debby, but neither appears in here.) Haha. If it's Randy and Heidi, it would be…..Handy? Reidi? Lol, if you use the Ran and the -di, it's still Randi! I love mixing names up!**

**Review!**


	3. Plan of Action

**CHAPTER 3- Yay! Chapter 3! Sorry for not updating! School's been crazy. On the bright side, with our two days of testing, I got two more chapters of this story typed. **

**Guest: C-Calm down. Breathe. I'm not an author who disappears off the face of the earth (very often).**

**Tansyflower: Thank you! I always thought they were cute together, even if it would be weird because of Howard and Heidi being related. **

**SariSpy56: Well, now you'll find out! Sort of….**

**Az The Dragon: Yeah, but I figured; it's Randy. His best friend is in trouble. He's not going to beat around the bush. Either way, I would have made Heidi find out. And thank you so much!**

**Reid Phantom: I….don't know. It's a really popular pairing on this fandom, from what I've seen. **

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. *Angry face with pouty mouth and nose* I WANT TO SO MUCH.**

* * *

_Howard had a terrible feeling that it might. _

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Heidi paced the porch anxiously, trying to keep her tears in her eyes and not look at Randy, who was sitting quietly on the porch railing, watching her in concern.

Randy didn't know quite what to do. Howard hadn't reacted like this when he had told him. The small handed boy had just been like "THIS IS SO BRUCE!" and then gotten over it.

But Heidi….

She was freaked. Randy could tell. And not just that he was the ninja; Randy honestly thought that that was the fact that least worried her.

It seemed to Randy that turning him in scared her more than the fact that he was the ninja in the first place.

Finally, unable to watch her pacing anymore, Randy stood up and walked over to Heidi, putting his hands firmly on the girl's shoulders.

"Heidi," he said sternly, "the only reason I haven't left to get Howard myself is because I was kind of hoping you would help me come up with a plan, in case I can't easily escape."

Heidi froze and finally looked him in the eyes, and Randy winced when he saw the terror.

"But Randy," Heidi said softly, glancing away, "I…what if, even if we do come up with a plan, Howard and I can't get you back? Your mom would…"

The girl gulped and looked back up.

Randy sighed and led Heidi over to the porch swing. "Listen, Heidi…my mom knows I'm the ninja."

Heidi gaped at him. "She does?"

Randy nodded and tucked a knee under him, looking out at the yard and running his hand through his dark purple, almost black hair. "Yeah. I kept coming home late, and you know, every now and then I do get bruises from some of the tougher battles. She finally questioned me and I realized…"

He blew out a breath through his nose and looked at Heidi. "She thought I was hurting myself, or you know, doing drugs or something. I told her, just so she wouldn't worry as much. She's kept the secret from everyone. Even Howard doesn't know she knows."

Heidi just stared at him, and then she started laughing. "You…you told your mom that you were out fighting monsters and robots so that she would worry _less_?"

Randy flushed and chuckled. "Yeah…now that I think about it, it wasn't the best reason to tell her. But she knows, and she knows that I'm in danger. But she gets it, Heidi."

He looked at her knowingly and nodded. "You need to get it, Heidi. I have to save Howard, even if it means giving myself up. He's my best friend."

Heidi sighed and looked down at her hands. Finally, she nodded. "Fine. But we don't come up with a plan tonight."

She held up a hand as Randy started protesting, and when she lifted her head Randy saw the tears in her eyes and realized how hard it must be for her to not get her brother back this second.

"We'll come up with something tomorrow, with your mom. She needs to know what we're doing. And I'm sure both of our families will let us stay home in light of events."

"And hopefully no monsters attack," muttered Randy.

Heidi winced. "Yeah. We're just going to have to hope."

She stood up to leave, walking around the side of the house with Randy next to her.

They stopped in the front lawn, and Heidi looked over at the boy, noting the small glint of concern in his dark blue eyes.

"You'll be ok until tomorrow, right?" Randy asked anxiously. "I mean…McFist obviously knows where you live."

Heidi nodded. "I should be fine. Mom has a bunch of cops over at the house right now, and…"

She gulped and started shivering, sliding to the ground. Randy automatically dropped to the ground next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, come on. It'll be fine," he said softly, rubbing her shoulder gently. "We'll get Howard back Heidi, I promise. I swear on my life that-"

"No," Heidi yelped, looking up and practically smacking his face with her forehead. "Don't swear on your life, Randy. Please."

Randy was startled, but he slowly nodded and helped Heidi over to her bike. "Be careful, ok? If you feel threatened or anything, call me."

Heidi gave a brief smile. "That's exactly what my mom said before I left the house."

There was an awkward pause between the two before Heidi spoke again. "Randy…you know I won't tell anyone, right? About you being the ninja?"

Randy gave a hesitant smile. "I had hoped you wouldn't."

Heidi gave him a look. "You honestly thought I would tell?"

Randy narrowed his eyes slightly. "Come on, Heidi. Your web show?" he reminded her.

Heidi frowned, and then winced. "Oh. Right. But Randy, if I had known the risks, or that it was you, I never would have even considered telling anyone."

Randy nodded slowly. "Well….be careful on your way home. See you tomorrow, Heidi."

Heidi nodded to her crush and peddled away rapidly, her cheeks flushed.

Great. She discovers that she has a crush on the ninja, and all she can do is stare at him.

Stupid teenage girl hormones.

* * *

Howard groaned, his throat raspy. He hadn't had anything to drink since his quick water fountain stop before he left school at eight that morning.

Howard could barely see his watch, but the last time he had gotten a glimpse at it, it had read almost nine o'clock.

He sighed and let his head droop. McFist was making it impossible for him to sleep, and the boy was exhausted. Not to mention, he had to pee really badly, and he didn't think that Viceroy or McFist would let him go long enough to actually use the bathroom.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask….well, it might, but he was still going to try.

Howard swallowed hard, trying his best to not wince at the dryness in his mouth. "Please," he croaked, using the word for the first time. "Please, I…I need something to drink."

Up in the overhead room with the torture devices, Viceroy winced.

McFist had gone to bed, and Viceroy had taken the advantage to give the boy a rest from his…well, torture.

The man sighed and pressed the intercom button, leaning down to speak into the microphone. "Howard, I'm sorry, I can't."

Howard glared up at the tinted window with malice. "Really? Oh, I get it. You want me dead. Is that it? You don't want to find out who the ninja is? Cause if he comes here and finds me dead, he sure as hell isn't going to give himself up."

Viceroy blinked and took a step back. That had never actually occurred to him; that they could be dehydrating the boy to death.

Viceroy took a deep breath and glanced back to his boss' bedroom. He leaned in again, keeping his voice low. "Fine."

Howard opened his mouth, and then closed it again, stunned. "Fine?" he repeated.

Viceroy sighed and grabbed a pair of handcuffs and keys to the mechanism for holding Howard up. He slipped into the elevator and walked out on the same level as the boy, feeling the teen's wary eyes on him.

"Fine," Viceroy commented, walking over and starting to undo the chains to Howard's wrists. "I'll let you get water and use the restroom. But if you make one move to escape, I'll have to send my robots after you, kid."

A moment later, Howard slumped to the floor, too weak to even think about escaping- well, maybe not think about it, but definitely too weak to accomplish anything.

Viceroy cuffed the boy's hands in front of him and helped the teen out of the room and into the nearest bathroom, where there were no windows.

Howard came out a few minutes later, his face free of the tears and blood that had been littered there, and Viceroy assumed that he had washed his face.

"Better?" the man asked, trying for conversation.

The boy looked up at him with a glare and Viceroy winced. Of course it wasn't better. His hands were cuffed, his eye swollen shut, scrapes littered his face and his body was bruised. And by the look in his eye and the way he walked, he was probably sick.

Viceroy led Howard to a water fountain, where the boy drank greedily for almost a full two minutes.

Sighing, the man turned him back towards the room and he could already see the fear and anger seeping back into Howard's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Howard," Viceroy said as he re-chained him.

Howard spat at him and Viceroy ducked, barely missing being hit by the flying gob. "If you're so sorry, why don't you let me out?" he growled.

Viceroy sighed and chained his left ankle. "Honestly, Howard, I wish I could." He looked up with such sympathy that Howard momentarily was stunned.

"But kid, if I let you go…McFist will go after my family, and then me. I can't let that happen," the man whispered, un-cuffing Howard's hands and re-chaining them to the wall, though a little less tightly than McFist had.

Howard stared at Viceroy, seeing the man in a new light. He could now make out dark circles under the man's eyes, as if he hadn't slept in weeks, and the way his hands fumbled with the simple chain links.

It occurred to Howard that maybe Viceroy was as much of a prisoner as he was.

"I don't get it," Howard said softly. "Why do you want the ninja so badly?"

Viceroy looked up, his eyebrows creased as if he had never thought about it. "I don't know. I don't particularly care. I mean, sure I'm curious, but I don't care. But McFist…"

The man shuddered and stood, gathering the cuffs and keys from the floor. He started back towards the upper room, glancing back at Howard.

"McFist…he wants the ninja dead," Viceroy said softly as the elevator doors slid shut.

* * *

**Yeah…like I said, I love Viceroy. Maybe a little too much…I always make him the evil sidekick who really isn't all that evil. Like Dr. Doofenshmirtz! Even though he isn't a sidekick….**

**Anyway, review please!**


	4. Give Me the Ninja

**CHAPTER 4- Hey! Look, I'm updating things today! Life…I'm sunburned….ouch.**

**SariSpy56: You'll find out. (:**

**Anonymous: Well great. Now I want a cheeseburger. **

**blossom3345: Hopefully Howard isn't that stupid. ;)**

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. I want there to be a new episode so much….grrr.**

* * *

"_McFist…he wants the ninja dead," Viceroy said softly as the elevator doors slid shut. _

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Heidi woke up early the next morning out of habit, and she had just started getting ready for school when yesterday's events fell back into her mind.

She froze, and her sock that she was holding fell to the floor.

Howard had been kidnapped by McFist.

Randy Cunningham, Howard's best friend and her (shh!) crush, was the freaking Norrisville Ninja.

She had to turn said ninja in to McFist to get her brother back.

And she had less than eight hours to figure out the best way to do that, without possibly killing Randy in the process.

Heidi groaned and sank back into her bed, throwing her arms up above her. "Great. What am I supposed to do?"

She sighed and sat back up, pulling her socks and shoes on, knowing that she had to stay focused, because she didn't have time to waste.

She grabbed her book bag and threw some money in it, and as an afterthought, a roll of duct tape (you never know; duct tape fixes everything).

Heidi walked down the stairs, sliding to a halt when she saw her mother sitting at the table, wearing the same clothes she had last night. "Mom?"

The woman looked up with a weary smile. "Hi honey."

"Have you slept at all?" Heidi asked in concern, setting her bag down.

Her mother sighed and shook her head. "No, honey. Are you going to school?"

Heidi paused. "Do I have to? I kind of wanted to comfort Randy. He feels so bad about Howard being missing."

Mrs. Weinerman sighed. "Oh, the poor dear. Go ahead over to his house, honey. Just be super careful."

Heidi kissed her mother lightly on the cheek. "I swear Mom, I'll be careful. I'm sure they'll find Howard soon."

As she left the house and mounted her bike, Heidi couldn't help but think that she was going to be the one to get her brother back, and at the expense of his best friend.

The girl sighed and lowered her head into the wind as she pumped her legs furiously, tears threatening at her eyes. She honestly didn't know if she could do this to Randy or Howard. What if they didn't get him back?

The girl shivered and braked gently in front of Randy's house, dropping her bike to the grass and climbing the steps to his house slowly.

Randy opened the door before she had even reached the porch, and his eyes were sympathetic. "Hey, Heidi. Doing ok?"

Heidi shrugged and followed Randy into his house. "I could be better," she said with a forced laugh.

Randy shut the door behind her and shrugged. "I know what you mean. Listen, I explained everything to my mom last night after you left."

Heidi winced, her shoulders tightening. "And now she can't stand me, right? For wanting to put you in danger."

Randy shook his head. "Heidi, I explained it already; she knows I have to put myself in danger. It's my job."

"A job you didn't ask for!" Heidi protested in anger.

Randy looked surprised. "Well, no. But Heidi, I don't mind. I enjoy helping people and if one of those people is my best friend who has been kidnapped by McFist, then that makes it ten times better."

Heidi slumped onto the living room couch and sighed. "I just don't know if I can do this, Randy," she whispered. "I mean…it's not like I hate you. I don't. Well…maybe sometimes. But generally you're not annoying."

"Gee, thanks," Randy said jokingly, sitting down next to her.

"But I don't want to turn you in," Heidi said softly.

Randy waited for the inevitable "Because Howard would kill me," to come, but to his surprise, it didn't. Heidi truly didn't want to turn him in.

Randy sat back in surprise at this thought, his mind temporarily blown. Heidi Wienerman, who had seemingly despised him since he and Howard had become friends, was worried about him.

The ninja gently leaned over and rested his hand on her shoulder. She flinched slightly at his touch and Randy sighed. "Listen, Heidi. I know you don't want to. But you have to. I have to. Even if you don't turn me in, I'll still go. But you need to come. Howard is going to need help. He was sick yesterday, remember? He's going to be a lot worse today."

Heidi winced. "I know. I know. Look, Randy, I know that I have to turn you in. That doesn't mean I want to."

Randy patted her shoulder gently. "I know."

He was going to say more, but his mother walked in, holding Randy's backpack and rummaging through it. "All right, Randy, I threw the Nomicon in your bag, as well as an extra change of clothes that Howard left here last time he slept over, and some duct tape."

Randy looked up at his mother with a confused expression. "Why duct tape, Mom?"

She shrugged. "Duct tape fixes everything," she said, making Heidi grin. "You know what you're doing, right honey?"

Randy nodded and shouldered the back pack, pulling his mask from his back pocket. "Yeah. Heidi and I head to McFist industries, where she turns me in and demands Howard back. I refuse to go inside until Howard is at the door. Hopefully at that point, I can just escape with you guys. If not," Randy said, looking over at Heidi, "you get Howard back here and figure out a way to get me out."

Heidi hesitated, thinking the plan over, and then she nodded. "Fine. But Randy, don't put the mask on now, you dope. People will wonder why you're hanging out with me."

Randy blinked and then nodded. "You're right. That makes sense."

He stuffed the mask back into his pocket and walked to the front door, peering at his watch as he did so. It was around eight am, and everyone would be at school at this point, so he and Heidi wouldn't have much of a chance of running into anyone they knew.

The boy turned to his mother and gave her a tight hug. "Thanks, Mom."

Mrs. Cunningham hugged him back and smiled. "No problem honey. Just come back in one piece, ok?"

Randy grinned and nodded, and then turned to Heidi. "Ready?" he asked.

Heidi twisted her lips into a thin smile. "No," she admitted.

Randy chuckled, waved to his mother, and he and Heidi descended the steps, bypassing her bike and opting to walk to McFist industries.

They were halfway there when Heidi finally spoke. "Are you sure this plan is going to work, Randy?"

Randy frowned and cocked his head, swiveling his eyes towards her. "Heidi, can I ask you a question?" he asked, ignoring her question.

Heidi smirked. "You just did."

Randy groaned and face palmed. "You know what I mean. Why can you all of a sudden remember my name?"

Heidi bit her lip momentarily, and she shrugged. "I…uh, I just did it to get on your nerves."

Randy pondered this for a moment. He knew that Heidi wasn't telling the truth- or, at least, not the whole truth. But he couldn't really dwell on it right now, could he?

"Well, it worked," he muttered as they rounded a corner and came upon McFist Industries in all of its obnoxiously brick like glory.

Heidi gave a small chuckle and pulled Randy into a small alley. He looked at her in confusion and she rolled her eyes. "Do you really want to go ninja in the middle of the street?"

Randy smiled sheepishly. "Right."

He dropped his bag to the ground and slid it behind an empty trash can. "Here, leave the stuff here. We can come back for it later."

Heidi dropped her own backpack next to Randy's and situated them so that they were well hidden. She glanced up just as Randy slid the soft mask over his face.

Heidi shut her eyes as the bright light flashed through the dark alley, and when she opened them again, the ninja stood in front of her. He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, holding his hand out.

Heidi took it and allowed Randy to pull her to her feet. She found, with slight surprise, that he was now taller than her. When had that happened?

Randy peered around the corner, and then turned back to Heidi. "Listen, in case you guys have to go with plan B, I left a note in my bag for Howard. Make sure he gets it, ok?"

Heidi nodded. "Of course. Randy…will he be ok? You know, with me knowing?"

Randy winced and rubbed his neck. "Probably not at first."

Heidi sighed and tugged on Randy's wrist, pulling him back out into the street. "Ok, make it look like you really don't want to be here. If they know we collaborated, they might think we made a plan."

Randy chuckled. "But we did."

Heidi slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Shut up, Ninja," she muttered, easily falling into the pattern of not calling him Randy.

Randy snickered and allowed Heidi to drag him up to the front steps, where she rapped lightly on the door, her face nervous.

A gorilla robot opened the door and looked down at them. Heidi cleared her throat. "Um…I…I brought the Ninja, like McFist asked. I want my brother back."

"Give me the Ninja," the gorilla said in a monotone voice.

Heidi narrowed her eyes. "Look, buddy, I want to see my brother before I let the Ninja out of my sights. So bring him to me, buster."

The gorilla looked surprised (as much as a robot can, anyway), but he gestured towards a few other gorillas, who disappeared. "Wait here," the robot said needlessly.

He slammed the door shut and Heidi and Randy glanced at each other nervously.

The door opened a minute later, with McFist standing there instead, a menacing smile on his face. Viceroy was behind him, basically propping up a very weary Howard, whose head was turned towards the floor.

Heidi let out a strangled cry at the sight of her brother and she turned her furious face to McFist. "Let my brother go right now!"

Howard's head shot up and he squinted at Heidi with his one good eye. His face fell as he spotted the ninja.

"Heidi, no! Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Howard yelped.

* * *

**Oh, poor Howard. He has no idea what's going on. But we do (:**

**Review please! I need to go find some aloe….**


	5. What the Juice?

**CHAPTER 5- Hey guys! I love this chapter, and the ending is a bit of a surprise (:**

***This chapter is dedicated to my friend Jenna! Her 18****th**** birthday is on Tuesday (I won't be able to update that day due to previous engagements) and today is her birthday party. This girl rocks! I pitched this story's original idea to her, and she was all for it! Happy birthday Jenna! :D**

**SariSpy56: Why yes, yes he does. ;) (They really need an evil smirk emoticon)**

**Rosezelene Ersa: Actually, in the episode **_**Gossip Boy, **_**McFist was all set to torture Howard until Viceroy told him that he had that mind reading device. That's the reason I made Viceroy the "good" evil villain and not like torturing. And thank you so much! I'm glad that I can write something you enjoy!**

**Annonymous: Well, thank you (: **

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. Duh. **

* * *

"_Heidi, no! Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Howard yelped. _

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

"Shut him up!" McFist called out. Viceroy sighed and put the gag back around Howard's mouth, whispering a soft apology in the boy's ear.

"Give me the ninja," McFist said in delight.

Heidi scowled. "I want my brother. Now."

McFist frowned and snapped his fingers. Howard was practically thrown onto the pavement at Heidi's feet, and faster than anyone could react, a gorilla appeared, snatched Randy out of Heidi's unsuspecting hands, and the door slammed shut, almost knocking Howard down the stairs.

Heidi gulped back tears, hard, and leaned over to help her brother up. She left the gag on his mouth for the moment, knowing that she had to get away from the building quickly, before McFist changed his mind about letting the two of them go.

Howard had only taken a few steps before he realized that his sister was taking him away from the building they had just come from. He started struggling against her grip, but she only tightened it and continued dragging him down the street.

He finally managed to get a hand up and rip the gag out of his mouth, spitting as the disgusting taste hit him for the first time full on. "Heidi, where-?"

"Shh," Heidi said quickly, pulling him into the alley that she and Randy had left their things in.

Howard slumped to the ground almost immediately, holding his head in his hands, his eye that was open staring at his sister in disbelief. "Heidi….you don't understand. How could you turn the ninja in for me? What on earth were you thinking?!"

His voice slowly rose until he was practically yelling, and Heidi whipped around, her hair flying. "Howard, shut up! Do you really want McFist to find us? Don't worry about the ninja right now!"

She continued her search for her backpack while Howard scowled. "Heidi, I can't believe you would even think about trading in the hero of Norrisville for me. It makes no sense!"

Heidi turned around again, and this time her eyes were a tad softer. "Howard, you're my little brother. It makes plenty of sense. And don't worry. We'll get Randy back."

Howard opened his mouth to throw something harsh back at her, but he froze, his pointer finger hanging in the air as it dawned on him what his sister had just said. "What did you say?" he said slowly.

Heidi looked up from where she was pulling hers and Randy's backpacks out from behind the trash can. "I said, we'll get Randy back."

Howard shut his mouth and swallowed hard, suddenly realizing just how thirsty he really was. "You…you know?"

Heidi knelt in front of him with a water bottle and unscrewed the cap from the top. She handed it over and Howard took it with trembling fingers. "Yeah," she said softly as he started to gulp the water. Heidi quickly wrapped her fingers around his wrist and shook her head. "Don't chug it Howard. You haven't had anything to drink since yesterday morning."

Howard carefully shook his head, pulling the bottle back to him. "No…Viceroy. McFist's 'sidekick;' he gave me water. No food, but he didn't want to dehydrate me."

He took another gulp and this time Heidi allowed it. She dove back into her bag and found a granola bar that had been sitting at the bottom of her backpack for who knew how long. She handed it over to Howard, who took it gratefully. As he bit into it, he looked up at his sister carefully.

"So, Heidi….tell me exactly what you know," he demanded, trying his best not to shove the whole granola bar down his throat.

Heidi hesitated. "I know Randy is the ninja. I know that you know. And I know that we'll get him back. But come on," she said, standing up and offering him a hand.

Howard took it and Heidi carefully hauled him to his feet, noting the way his face scrunched in pain when he landed on his left ankle. She gently wrapped his arm around her neck and Howard grunted a small "Thank you."

Heidi nodded and reached down, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. Howard bent over and picked up Randy's, and he handed it over to his sister, his face slightly sheepish. "I don't think I can carry it, Heidi. I can barely walk as it is."

Heidi nodded and threw it over top of her backpack. She peered out of the alley, and after determining that no one was there, she started leading Howard down the street. "So uh….where are we going?" Howard asked.

Heidi gave him a small smile and kept her eyes peeled for anyone she might know or the police. "Randy's house. By the way, his mom knows he's the ninja too."

Howard stumbled slightly, almost screaming as his ankle caught on a crack in the pavement. He held it in, and instead said, "I didn't know that she knew."

Heidi looked down at him sharply, her eyes searching his and finding the pain in them. "Come on, Howard. We need to get you there, ASAP. We need you for the final plan to get Randy out of there."

"You came up with a plan?" Howard said in disbelief as he and Heidi rounded the corner onto Randy's street.

Heidi nodded and helped him to the Cunningham's front lawn. "Yeah," she said with a nod. "But we need to get you fixed up first."

Howard definitely agreed to that, and he let Heidi guide him up the front steps to the porch, where Mrs. Cunningham opened the door and ushered the two inside, her face falling when she saw that Randy wasn't with them.

"Howard, honey, are you ok?" Susan asked as she guided him to the couch.

Howard sank into it and finally looked up at the woman, revealing his black eye and bruised face. Mrs. Cunningham gasped and automatically disappeared into the downstairs bathroom, reappearing a moment later with a large first aid kid.

She sat down on the couch at his side and began dabbing iodine lightly on his cuts.

"Mrs. Cunningham, I think he sprained his ankle too," Heidi pointed out, motioning to her brother's leg.

Susan rolled her eyes. "Of course. Heidi, hon, there's an old splint in the hall closet from when Randy sprained his ankle last year. Could you grab it, along with some extra gauze?"

Heidi nodded and darted to the closet, finding the items that Mrs. Cunningham had asked for almost immediately. She brought them back and Susan went to wrapping Howard's left ankle, biting her lip as the boy winced.

"I'm sorry, Howard. There's some medicine in the first aid kit that should make the pain go down. Heidi, there's an ice pack in the freezer."

Ten minutes later, Howard had a salve on his eye, bandages on his cuts, his ankle raised onto a pillow with an icepack on it, and he was listening to the end of the plans Susan and Randy had come up with.

"So we're sneaking in and getting Randy out?" Howard asked.

Heidi shook her head. "No. I am. You're too messed up to go in."

Howard scowled. "Are you kidding me? I've known he was the ninja for how long, and suddenly you're the one going off to rescue him? I don't think so!"

Heidi was kind of surprised by his reaction. "Howard, I just don't want you to get hurt anymore."

Howard frowned. "But still."

"Listen," Heidi said, leaning over and reaching into Randy's backpack, "Randy left you a note, just in case he did get captured. Here. Take it."

She handed over the note and stood up, leaving Howard in the room with the note, dragging Mrs. Cunningham out with her.

Howard watched his sister leave the room, and then glanced down at the folded up piece of paper in his hand. He shrugged and unfolded the paper gently, his eye skimming the words before the paper was even fully open.

_Howard:_

_So, if you've got this paper, that means that I did end up getting captured by McFist and that you know that Heidi knows I'm the ninja._

_First off, please don't be mad. I thought that I should tell her, you know, since she would be turning me in in the end. _

_Second, I think you can trust her. I don't think she has any intent on telling anyone my secret. _

_Third…listen, you remember how when I first told you my secret the Nomicon practically hated you? Over the last few months, it seems that the Nomicon has grown to accept you. I have given it specific instructions (you know, as of yesterday) that if I was to be captured, it should give you any required information in order to help me._

_I really hope that the Nomicon is cool with you now. Because honestly, if I get captured this time, I'm not really certain how I'll get out. You got to try Howard._

_And go easy on your sister. She was really freaked when you went missing._

_You're still the cheese, man. _

_-Randy_

Howard set the note down and stared blankly at the wall in front of him for a moment, before a reddish glow coming from the floor distracted him.

"Holy juice," Howard muttered as he realized that the Nomicon was glowing. He hesitated a moment, and then leaned over and slid the book out of the backpack.

He took a short breath and stared at the book in front of him. "Ok, Nomicon. As totally bruce as this is, I don't want you like, trusting me if you don't think I can be trusted."

The glowing became much brighter and Howard winced, opening the book. "That was the wrong thing to say, wasn't it?"

Howard suddenly felt incredibly light headed and his stomach lurched. For a brief moment, he felt like he was falling, and then when he felt something solid he raised his head and glanced around.

The place in front of him was not Randy's living room; rather, the walls were tan with curling gray vines, and the floor under him resembled a straw mat. There seemed to be nothing else around, but as Howard turned to look around, sweeping letters filtered across his vision.

"_Admitting to not being ready makes a person ready."_

* * *

**Bwahahaha. I say nothing. **

**Review! (Happy birthday again, Jenna!)**


	6. Remember

**CHAPTER 6- This chapter is a little shorter than my others, but it is pretty significant. And a little out there….bear with me. (:**

**I have now become obsessed with The Newsboys. I'm just really spazzy about them right now.**

**Review responses!**

**Az The Dragon: I hope you haven't been sitting and staring this whole time….your eyes must be super dry. **

**RedAstronaut4D2: Well thank you!**

**Gold Testament: Thanks. It took a little time to think of that. I'm glad it worked out. **

**DarkinUnderground: Dude, I've been brain dead for the last week. It's cool. **

**Annonymous: I'm not quite sure I know what you're talking about….**

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. **

* * *

_Admitting to not being ready makes a person ready._

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Howard froze, slowly dragging himself to his feet, noting briefly that there was no pain in his ankle and that he could see out of both eyes. "No way. I'm in the _NOMICON?_"

He slowly started grinning, his smile stretching from ear to ear. "Man! This is so bruce! Wait, but how….why am I in here?" he questioned, frowning in confusion. "I'm obviously not the ninja."

More swirling letters rolled in front of him. _A ninja needs one he can trust in times of danger; and he has picked one to be the messenger._

Howard shrugged. "Well, ok. Hey, Randy says you're always speaking in riddles. Why aren't you now?"

_The ninja has more comprehension than any other. _

Howard racked his brain for a moment, trying to decipher these words. Finally, he scowled. "Hey!"

The Nomicon rumbled around him; it almost seemed like it was laughing.

Howard hesitated for a moment, and then cocked his head slowly. "So…Randy told you that I was to be trusted if he got in trouble. What the heck am I supposed to do? It's not like I can help with my ankle the way it is in the real world," Howard muttered in annoyance.

_When you exit, you will find your more severe wounds healed._

Howard blinked. "Really? You're kidding!"

The Nomicon stayed silent and Howard rolled his eyes. "Right. You don't kid. Umm…so again, how am I supposed to help Randy? It's not like I'm the ninja here."

_Long ago, the ancient art of telepathy was lost to all of mankind. It was retained only by the first ninja, the one to defeat and imprison the sorcerer. _

Howard's eyebrows shot up. "Telepathy? Like, speaking with your minds?"

_Indeed. If you have the patience, I can aid you in mastering it. _

Howard frowned. "Well, that's neat and all, but what about Rand-err, the ninja?"

_When inside the suit, the ninja is able to speak in his mind, whether he realizes it or not. You, however, need training._

"How do you train to speak in your mind?" Howard wondered.

To which he was answered when the floor dropped from under him and he landed on a hard floor that might have shattered his bones had he not been in a mystical ninja book. He groaned and got to his feet, scowling at the air.

"Thanks a lot, Nomicon."

_Concentrate. Sit and focus your mind. Think only of the ninja. _

Howard paused, and then sank back to the ground, crossing his legs and resting his hands firmly on his knees, his back stiff. He shut his eyes and squished them up tightly, concentrating so hard that his head started hurting.

_No. Relax. You will never focus if your mind is overridden with concentration._

Howard nodded and then slowly let his hands fall at his sides. He re-situated his eyes as if he was going to sleep, and then he let his back slouch.

_Good. Now concentrate. Breathe. Think of the ninja, of your friendship with him. Believe that you can contact him through your mind._

Howard gave a small smile. "This is so corny," he muttered.

But he did as the Nomicon asked, focusing on his friendship with Randy.

_One must truly know the ninja to connect with him. One must remember all they and the ninja have ever done._

So Howard shut his eyes and remembered.

Remembered moving onto the block at the age of almost three, scared of being in a new home. Remembered getting lost one day and ending up on the front steps of a little purple haired boy. Remembered how the little boy brought him inside and introduced himself as Randy, and then got his mom to call Howard's mother and get him home.

He remembered going to kindergarten, realizing that Randy was in his class. Remembered finally being able to let go of his mother's hand as Randy called over to him.

He remembered their first day of first grade, when the teacher refused to seat the two boys next to each other. He remembered how Randy had comforted and told him that they could sit together at lunch, where they eventually discovered their mutual love of the ninja.

Their first day of fourth grade, when kids started making fun of the size of Howard's tiny hands. How he had cried in the last stall on the left in the bathroom until Randy had come to get him, and had personally announced that anyone who made fun of Howard would get "such a beating that their pants would be in their brain."

He remembered entering middle school, finding the new school incredibly big and overwhelming. But he also remembered the relief of Randy being at his side.

He remembered the day that Randy's grandfather died when they were in seventh grade, how he hadn't left his friend's side while he cried, how he made sure no one joked about it, made sure the purple haired boy was ok for the next few weeks.

Howard remembered entering high school, worried about all the bullies and homework and social classes, but excited at the prospect of being in the same school as the legendary ninja.

He remembered the day that he had discovered that Randy _was_ the ninja. The surprise, the shock…and yes, the slight jealousy. The way his friend got all the fame and glory, and he was just regular old Howard.

He remembered getting over those thoughts the first time Randy showed up at his house, injured, at quarter to midnight on a Friday.

He remembered how he had bandaged his friend's cuts, wondering how he ever could have been jealous of his friend, who risked his life for these people every day.

Howard remembered the first time he had been kidnapped; how worried he'd been that Randy wouldn't find him, that he would end there in that torture room.

He remembered the relief at his friend's appearance, relief at the fact that he was saved.

Howard remembered.

He relaxed, and opened his mind, his body almost melting against the floor of the Nomicon as silent tears streamed down his cheeks.

And the Nomicon understood, and metaphorically opened its pages into the Ninja's mind.

And Randy, strapped to the wall in McFist's torture room, his head hanging and mask wrapped around his head, heard Howard's soft voice in his head.

"_God, Randy, you need to pull through this. You've got to get through this. Heidi and I will find a way. I swear it."_

* * *

Heidi paced quietly in the Cunningham's kitchen, Susan watching her soothingly. "How long does it take to read a stupid note?" Heidi finally cried in exasperation.

Susan gently held out a hand and stopped the girl. "Honey, Howard's probably having a hard time. His best friend just…gave himself up for him," she said softly, glancing away.

Heidi winced. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Cunningham."

Susan gave a thin smile and sighed, letting her hands fall to her side as she strode over to the kitchen sink and began washing dishes. "It's ok, Heidi. It's just hard for me sometimes, knowing that Randy has to do this."

Heidi gave a small shrug and leaned against the kitchen counter. "He doesn't have to, Mrs. Cunningham. But if he didn't, you know the town would be so chaotic. I never could figure out how people around here got 'stanked,' as everyone says."

Susan chuckled lightly. "Oh, Randy explained that to me. Apparently there's some evil sorcerer that was trapped under the school. It…he…whatever feeds on depression, anxiety, and hurt provided by the students and adults around here. If too many people get stanked, then the Sorcerer can rise up and take over. That's why there's a ninja in the first place."

Heidi's eyebrows had disappeared into her hair as Mrs. Cunningham had explained. "Yeesh," she muttered. "That explains a lot."

Susan sighed, realized that she owned a dishwasher so washing dishes was pointless, and she shut off the water, tossing her dish towel onto the counter.

She paused, and for a moment the adult looked conflicted about something. Finally, she huffed and looked over at Heidi.

"You're right, hon. Howard's been pretty quiet. Let's go see what he's up to."

The two women stepped into the living room and Heidi stifled a yelp.

Howard was slumped over on the floor, the Ninja Nomicon open next to him. Only the whites of his eyes showed, and his face was pressed against the floor as if he were trying to eavesdrop on someone in the basement.

Heidi started forward, but Susan quickly grabbed the girl's arm, her eyes wide in shock. "Heidi, hang on. I think…I think Howard is fine."

Heidi wrenched her arm out of the woman's grasp. "You THINK? What do you mean, you think?"

Susan tiptoed over to Howard, her eyebrows furrowed. "This is exactly how Randy looks….when he goes into the Nomicon."

Heidi's eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me, did you say go _into_? As in like, travels into? How do you travel into a book?"

Susan shrugged. "I have no idea, Heidi. All I know is that…well, Randy is the only one who's supposed to be able to go inside the Nomicon."

Heidi smirked slightly, crossing her arms and glancing down at her brother. "Tell the Nomicon that."

* * *

**What? Is the whole telepathy thing farfetched? I swear it works with what I have in mind!**

**I enjoyed writing the parts where Howard remembered. It was fun to come up with a backstory for his and Randy's relationship.**

**Review please!**

***Note: If you are a guest reviewer, I would appreciate it if you would use some kind of name for yourself so that I can respond to you. If I have five "Guest" reviews, I can't very well identify each one individually. **


	7. Sun in the Dark

**CHAPTER 7- Look! I finally updated you guys! School is over in a week, and I am PUMPED! Let's get this summer going! I'm doing so much stuff and I'm so spazzy!**

*****Hey, if any awesome person out there is going to Creation (on either coast of the US) let me know! I'm going to the one in Pennsylvania!**

**DarkinUnderground: Oh, you'll see. Mwahaha.**

**SariSpy56: You'll find out soon! And thank you!**

**Guest: It just makes me happy and I want to thank you personally. (: THANKS!**

**RedAstronaut4D2: I don't like to make them too long, because I like having a good spot to leave off for the next chapter. Each chapter is about ten pages long on Word. And thanks!**

**Annonymous: Ummm…thank you?**

**CupidsLover: Thank you so much! By the way, I love your picture! (:**

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. For now… hahahaha. **

* * *

_Heidi smirked slightly, crossing her arms and glancing down at her brother. "Tell the Nomicon that."_

* * *

GENERAL POV (FIVE MINUTES AGO)

* * *

Randy groaned. If his hands hadn't been strapped to the wall behind him, his head would be buried in the palms of his hands.

He didn't know why McFist hadn't just ripped off the mask the second he had been pulled inside. It was easy enough. Randy had been so stunned, and then a gorilla robot had knocked him out for probably five minutes.

When he had come to, he had been strapped to this stupid wall, his wrists and ankles bruising from the tightness of the cuffs around them. He was positioned in such a way that he was not able to reach any of his weapons.

Randy sighed and glanced down at the floor. At least Heidi had gotten Howard back. Although from the look of him, the boy wasn't doing too hot.

The ninja cracked his neck gently, flexing his fingers and wincing as he did so. Ok, he was pretty sure at least one of his fingers was broken, possibly from fighting back earlier.

Whatever. At least that was all that was broken. And Randy knew from experience that if he stayed in the suit long enough, he would start healing. Not very quickly, of course, but faster than he would on his own.

Randy let his shoulders slump, a task that was difficult due to his current position, and he was ready to relax as much as possible when the intercom screeched and McFist's voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Hello Ninja," he snarled out of the microphone. Randy's face twisted in disgust, though McFist couldn't see said disgust thanks to the mask.

"What do you want, McFist?" Randy spit back, his eyes clouding over with anger.

McFist shook his head. "Uh, uh, uh. That's not how you speak to your elders."

He smacked a button and arcs of electricity ran through the cuffs and into Randy's body. The boy tried to muffle his cries, but ended up screaming at the top of his lungs, his chest arching upwards.

McFist lifted his hand off the button after only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity to Randy.

The boy let his entire body droop, his head hanging towards the ground and his chest heaving.

"_God, Randy, you need to pull through this. You've got to get through this. Heidi and I will find a way. I swear it."_

Randy's head shot up, his bones crackling at the sudden movement. Howard? There was no way the boy had just heard his best friend inside his head. That was too creepy. He was going insane…it was official.

McFist pressed his microphone against the speakers and a loud screech filled the room, nearly as painful as the electric shock. "Gah! What?" Randy said weakly, glaring up at the man.

McFist scowled. "Tell me, Ninja, why can't I remove your mask?"

Randy looked up at him in confusion. "Why can't….? I have no idea."

Hannibal frowned. "Don't you lie to me!"

He hit the button again, amping up the current, and Randy's restraints filled him with an electric shock worse than the first one, which seemed nearly impossible.

He clenched his fists and teeth so hard it felt like they would snap, and his shoulders strained to pull away from his torso and vice versa. If McFist amped it up anymore, Randy wasn't sure how much more he'd be able to take.

_"Come on, Cunningham, I know you can get through this, man. This guy is nothing but a big Bozo. Hey, maybe I should write it on his forehead!"_

Howard's voice and statement in Randy's head was so unexpected that the boy almost laughed as the electricity turned off, his body slumping back to its original position.

He held it in, and instead glanced up to see McFist and Viceroy arguing about something. Viceroy gestured at the controls, and then at Randy, before waving his hands around in the air. McFist said something back, and then the control rooms lights flickered off, and so did every light in the torture room but the emergency exit sign (which Randy found a little ironic).

Randy let himself relax a little, his body still shaking from the currents of electricity that had coursed through him.

_"Bro, are you going to talk back or what?"_

Howard's voice again, this time a bit more insistent. Randy hesitated, and then shut his eyes and pictured Howard in his head.

_"Dude, I'll be honest; I have no idea what's going on."_

Randy expected no answer, but a moment later, Howard spoke in his head again. _"I'll make it simple, Randy; I'm in the Nomicon, apparently using telepathy or whatever, and when I get out of here will most likely have no injuries. Man, I love this book!"_

The ninja was still stuck on the first statement. _"You're….you're _in _the Nomicon? I just told it to give you advice! Wait, how do I know you're actually Howard?"_

Randy could almost see Howard rolling his eyes. Of course, he knew it was Howard. He just…he wanted to be absolutely positive.

_"Fine. If I have to. Sigh. What time is it?"_

Randy gave a small smirk, despite his situation. _"Totally ninja o'clock."_

_"Are you done now? By the way, still totally lame. We need a new code."_

Randy chuckled quietly_. __"Yes, Howard I'm done. Ok, now tell me what's happened since you and Heidi left."_

Howard sighed in his head_. __"Well, your mom seems pretty distressed. She started bandaging me up and putting ointment on the tiniest cuts and bruises."_

_"That's just her thing, Howard,"_ Randy said with a soft laugh, which filled the empty room like a dim ray of sunshine_. __"In case you haven't noticed, she's pretty overprotective."_

_"Yeah. So why on earth did the Nomicon suck me in here? By the way, positive I'm going to have a huge bruise on my forehead when I get out of here. I was sitting right in front of your coffee table."_

Randy stifled his laughter_. __"Heck if I know. I just told it to give you information. It must really be used to you by now. How hard of a time have you had trying to understand it?"_

_"Haha. The Nomicon doesn't speak riddles to me."_

Randy felt his eyebrows shoot up. _"Oh, come on, seriously? Why not?!"_

There was silence in his head, and Randy frowned slightly, cocking his head a little_. __"Howard? Why not?"_

Howard made a small sound before speaking. _"Because, it said I don't understand things as well as the ninja, ok?"_

Randy couldn't help it; he burst into loud, pealing laughter that echoed throughout the dark room, making the gloominess seem just a little happier.

Up in the torture room observance area, Viceroy frowned slightly, his hand hovering over the microphone. He had just been about to ask the ninja if he wanted a drink or something (he couldn't offer the bathroom; he was too skilled at getting away for that) when he heard the loud sound of laughter.

Viceroy squinted down into the darkness. No one was down there with the ninja, yet the boy/man/whatever the heck he was, seemed like he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

Viceroy slipped out of the observation room and tiptoed down the stairs until he stood just outside the doorway of the torture room. He peered in quietly, grateful that it was dark enough for him to hide.

The ninja was shaking his head gently, his eyes focused on the ground. He was chuckling lightly under his breath, and even in the dark Viceroy could see the twinkle in his dark blue eyes.

The (slightly) evil scientist backed up and leaned against the wall in the hallway, crossing his arms gently over his chest.

It was either his imagination, or the ninja was going absolutely insane. And they had only had him captive for a little while.

Viceroy paused, rubbing his goatee gently, and then stepped back into the room, flicking on the light switch and moving into full view.

The ninja's head shot up, his eyes hardening immediately and his easy demeanor vanishing. "Viceroy," he muttered, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

Viceroy held up his hands quickly. "Look, ninja, I'm not here to do anything."

"And why should I believe you?" he asked.

Viceroy held up a finger, ready to answer, but something about the ninja's appearance changed.

His eyes got a faraway look in them, his pupil's looing up towards the ceiling. Against better judgment, Viceroy glanced up. Nothing was there of course, but when he looked back at the ninja, he was still in that position.

He blinked a few times, and then the ninja glanced down at Viceroy, his eyes a little gentler. "Oh. Um, Viceroy, can I…I don't know, get a drink or something?"

Viceroy winced. "I'm sorry, ninja. I can't let you do that."

Letting Howard out had been too close. Letting the ninja out….he was going to have to wait before he could give the boy anything, wait until McFist was dead to the world asleep.

The ninja's eyebrows shot up, and then he narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I see. So, you didn't want to hurt anyone before because of your kids, but now it's ok, because I'm the ninja. Thanks a lot, Viceroy."

Viceroy opened and shut his mouth, and then he stumbled out of the room in shock, hitting the lights as he left.

Randy, in the suit, winced. Crap.

Viceroy sank heavily to the floor, his head in his hands as he stared at the ground in disbelief. The ninja had known what he told Howard…about his family, why he did the things he did.

Viceroy gulped.

That meant that the ninja was somehow communicating with Howard.

* * *

**So that happened. Again tell me if anyone is going to Creation this year, or if you know of anyone who is! Who knows, we could meet each other! (:**

**Something bizarre happened with the italicizing button, so if something random is italicized, don't worry about it. But full sentences between Howard and Randy should be italicized. **

**Review please!**


	8. Sibling Fluff

**CHAPTER 8- Blargh. I typed all of this on Saturday after I took the ACT's, hoping to be able to do something relaxing. I finished this chapter and then I couldn't freaking upload it! ARRGGGHHH.**

**Blossom3345: That's me like every day of my life.**

**SariSpy56: You'll see. (: Eventually**

**Angie: Lolz. That's what I was thinking when I read it over**

**Living Encyclopedia: No, no he definitely is not.**

**Rachealninja10: I don't know what was up with that…and now FanFiction itself is acting up.**

**DarkinUnderground: I hint at a lot of things….and there's Howard and Heidi siblingness in this chapter! (I made that word up ****)**

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. Sibling fluff in this chapter. (:**

* * *

_That meant that the ninja was somehow communicating with Howard. _

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Howard frowned. "Randy?"

He said it out loud, before quickly shutting his eyes and thinking it instead._"Randy? What happened?"_

_"Crap, Howard, I accidentally told Viceroy what he told you."_

_"So?"_

_"So, I'm not supposed to know that kind of information! I basically just told him that I'm communicating with you!"_

Howard winced, rubbing his head. He was about to respond when more letters filtered across his vision.

_The time a non-ninja may spend here is limited. You must go._

Howard jumped to his feet, panicking. "Wait, Nomicon, no! How the heck am I supposed to talk to Randy?"

_As long as you can picture the ninja in your head and remember what you have learned here, you will always be connected. _

Howard sighed in relief and nodded. "Ok, ok. How do I get out of here?"

The room around him suddenly started spinning and Howard collapsed back to the floor, his head swirling.

The floor fell from under him and for a moment it felt as if Howard's brain had been removed from his head and then had it slammed back in.

When he regained his senses, he glanced up to find Heidi and Mrs. Cunningham looking down at him in slight worry.

"Howard?" Heidi said slowly, her fingers reaching out a little before she stopped and drew them back to her side. "Are you ok?"

Howard hesitated and then shakily got to his feet. "Yeah…yeah, I think I'm ok."

He looked up to find Heidi and Randy's mom looking at him in surprise. Howard glanced down at himself and smiled. He was standing normally on his ankle, and he could still see out of both eyes. And though he was still sore and had scrapes and bruises on his body, he was ten times better than he had been before he had gone into the Nomicon.

"What….what happened?" asked Heidi in slight awe, staring down at the book on the floor.

Howard smirked and crossed his arms. "Dude, I just went into the Nomicon. Do you know how bruce that is?"

Heidi rolled her eyes. "No, I don't, firstly because I don't know the meaning of the word 'bruce.' And second, don't call me dude."

Susan quickly stepped in before the siblings could get into an argument. "Howard, hon, did you learn anything about how to help Randy?"

Howard's grin stretched across his face. "Better than that. I actually talked to Randy."

Susan and Heidi looked at each other in surprise. "How on earth could you possibly talk to Randy?" Heidi asked in disbelief.

Howard shrugged. "I don't know. Some type of telepathy that the Nomicon taught me how to use."

"Wow," murmured Heidi.

"I know, right? Cool," Howard said with a nod.

"No, I can't believe you actually paid attention long enough to learn something."

Howard threw his hands into the air. "Aw, come on! I like almost died and you're making jokes!"

That shut Heidi up quite nicely, and the room became absolutely silent. Howard winced after a moment. "Heidi…"

Heidi quickly held up a hand, turned on her heel, and stalked out of the living room. Howard sighed and rubbed his forehead. Susan gently laid a hand on Howard's shoulder. "Honey, maybe you should go talk to her."

"Randy did say to go easy on her," Howard muttered.

Mrs. Cunningham looked at him in a funny way, and then gently pushed him in the direction Heidi had gone.

Howard slipped out the back door, finding himself on the porch in the backyard. Heidi sat on the porch steps, her chin in her hand as she stared out at the grass.

The night was quiet, crickets chirping in the distance and a cool breeze blowing the grass in a multitude of directions. The moon was bright and full, providing the backyard with enough light to see by.

Howard sank down next to his sister, staying quiet for a moment. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, "It's uh…it's nice out, huh?"

Heidi huffed and turned to Howard, who was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "What do you want, you dork?"

Howard winced and gulped. "Heidi, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking when I said that."

Heidi turned away from him and crossed her arms. "Howard, that was just…so insensitive! Did it ever occur to you that I freaked out when I found out that you had been kidnapped?"

She spun to face him again, a scowl replacing her tears. "I was so scared that you'd die, especially after Randy told me what McFist is really like."

Howard glanced away. "You know Heidi, you never act like you care about me that much. I'm sorry if I didn't think that you'd care."

A gentle hand reached out and touched Howard's elbow, drawing him around to look at his sister, who looked a little shocked.

"Howard, I can't believe that you would think that I don't care about you. I mean, sure you're annoying, and you chew too loudly, and you don't really know how to be cool in public, and….I lost my train of thought."

Howard rolled his eyes. "Of course you did," he muttered in annoyance.

Heidi quickly grabbed his shoulder. "I'm kidding. You're my little brother, Howard. I'll always care about you."

Howard smiled and the siblings hugged briefly. When they pulled away, Howard cocked his head. "What about Randy?"

Heidi cocked her head back at him. "What about Randy?"

Howard shrugged. "I mean, you care about what happens to him…right?"

Heidi studied her brother for a moment. He looked so worried that Heidi wouldn't say yes, and the girl wondered if she really had seemed so mean that it seemed like she wouldn't want to rescue her brother or secret crush from a crazy maniac trying to kill them.

"Howard, of course I care about Randy," she said softly, glancing out over the backyard. "He's been hanging out with you for so long; it'd be hard for me not to care. Come on. Let's go figure out our plan."

She stood up and walked inside before Howard could respond. Rather than get up off the steps, Howard leaned back for a moment, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

The way his sister had said she cared about Randy….Howard had seen the look in her eyes, and he didn't honestly think that she meant she cared about Randy like a little brother or a friend. Which meant that….

"Oh, gross!" Howard yelped to himself.

He stood up, his nose wrinkled and he pressed his hand against the screen door, thinking for a moment.

If Heidi really did….shiver….like Randy…would he be ok with that?

Howard frowned, his brain practically smoking from the hundreds of thoughts flitting through it.

He wasn't sure what to think anymore. Everything he had thought he knew was pretty much wrong; only the Ninja can go in the Nomicon, Randy can always get away from McFist, his sister couldn't stand him or Randy…the only thing that Howard knew that was still the same was that Randy was the ninja and that he was Howard.

The boy sighed and leaned on the door for a moment before sliding inside, where Heidi and Mrs. Cunningham were seated at the table, discussing plans quietly.

Before either of them noticed him, Howard studied his sister carefully. She didn't look like she had a crush on his best friend.

But that didn't mean she didn't.

So the question still remained….was he ok with this?

As he sat down and thought about it, Howard realized that if Randy actually *gulp* returned his sister's feelings, that he actually wouldn't care that much. At least his sister wouldn't be with some schoob if she was with Randy.

Howard pursed his lips slightly. He was getting ahead of himself. Heidi might not even like Randy. It just might be that she cared for him like a brother or friend.

A pause, and then Howard snorted slightly, leaning back. Yeah right.

* * *

The ninja sighed. He had lost contact with Howard almost thirty minutes ago, which meant that either Howard was being attacked, or he had left the Nomicon. The boy still couldn't believe his friend had gotten into the book in the first place.

But those thoughts were somewhere in the back of his mind at this point.

Randy gulped heavily, his throat parched and dry, reminding him of sandpaper in a desert. "Viceroy," he croaked, "please…I just want some water."

Viceroy, up in the torture chamber, winced. The ninja had gone for over ten hours without water, and Viceroy knew that he should really give him some.

But to tell the truth, Viceroy was actually a little scared of the kid now. Somehow, he was talking with Howard. Willem had no idea how that was even possible.

The man leaned heavily on the controls of the torture board, keeping his fingers well away from the controls.

Hearing those screams that afternoon….geez, it had made Viceroy want to kill himself. It sounded like a kid in that suit, and considering that they always searched for the ninja at the high school, Viceroy had no doubt that that was a possibility.

Which meant that even by helping Howard or the ninja by giving them water or something, he was no better than McFist.

Viceroy sighed and grabbed a bottle of water from the desk that sat nearby. He tiptoed down the stairs, trying not to wake his boss.

It was almost ten thirty at night, and Viceroy was so tired that he could barely see straight. He slid into the torture room and walked quietly over to the ninja, feeling the ninja's eyes on him.

"I brought you some water," the man said softly.

The ninja nodded slowly, his eyes weak. They had lost that spark of fire that was always in them, and Viceroy found himself wondering if that was his fault. Probably.

Viceroy started to unscrew the cap, and then he automatically found the one issue laced within this otherwise kindly thing to do.

The ninja couldn't drink with the mask on.

The ninja seemed to realize this at the same time Viceroy did, as his shoulders slumped even more and his throat bobbed up and down under his suit. He let out a small sigh.

"Forget it, Viceroy," he said in a crackly voice that made the man wince. "I'm not giving up my secret yet."

Willem looked up, searching the ninja's eyes. He continued to unscrew the cap off the water bottle, and when it finally came undone he reached up and, rather than try to pull the ninjas mask of, he tilted the bottle neck so that it created a small crevice at the mouth of the mask, and he slipped the top of it down into the lip of the mask.

The ninja looked surprised, but as water trickled into his parched lips, spilling down his suit, the surprise turned into quiet gratitude.

After a full five minutes, the ninja pulled away, his identity still a secret. Viceroy replaced the cap on the now empty bottle and tossed it into a recycling bin.

He started for the exit, but the ninja called his name quietly. Viceroy turned around and raised an eyebrow at the boy.

The ninja glanced down at the floor, and then back up at Viceroy. "Thanks, Viceroy."

* * *

**I love Viceroy. But you all know that already. (:**

**And a lot of contemplation from Howard on his sister's and Randy's relationship. Whatever relationship they have…even I don't know!**

**Review please! This story is now among the top ten most reviewed RCNGN stories! Let's get it to number one! (Plus reviews make me smile)**


	9. Twisting the Torture

**CHAPTER 9- Hey. Here's the next chapter. Serious twist at the end. (: Bwahaha. **

**Gold Testament: I took your advice and did just that. So thank you. It actually worked quite well in my favor. You rock! I didn't use the whole bit here, and if you don't care I'll use the rest of it a couple of chapters from now.**

**Guest: Me too. (: I love writing it, too. **

**Woo! I'm pumped for this chapter! And the next chapter…and probably the rest too. Actually, I'm just pumped period.**

**Anyone going to Creation this year? Anyone at all? Northeast? Cause I'll be there!**

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. I need a new episode….**

**Swearing in this chapter...blah blah warning blah.**

* * *

_The ninja glanced down at the floor, and then back up at Viceroy. "Thanks, Viceroy."_

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Heidi leaned back in the kitchen chair sleepily, glancing at the clock positioned above the stove. She groaned when she realized that it was long past midnight and the three of them were still awake.

"Kids, maybe you should sleep," Susan suggested. "You won't be any help to Randy if you're dead on your feet."

Howard started to protest, but his words were cut off with a long yawn. "Ok, ok. We'll go to bed. Good night, Mrs. Cunningham."

"Good night, Howard," Susan said gently as the boy stumbled to the guest room.

Heidi yawned and stood up from her chair, rubbing her eyes hard. "Mrs. Cunningham, are you sure you won't help us infiltrate?"

Susan nodded. "Heidi, I'm sure. As much as I hate to admit it, you and Howard are better suited for sneaking around than I am."

Heidi nodded and had started for the bedrooms when Susan stopped her. "Heidi, honey, your mother knows you're still here, right?"

"Yeah," said Heidi, stifling a yawn. "She called me a couple of hours ago and I asked if I could spend the night."

"She was ok with it, right?" Susan asked anxiously.

Heidi rolled her eyes, and then her shoulders. "Of course, Mrs. Cunningham. I wouldn't still be here if it wasn't ok with her."

Susan nodded. "All right honey. Sleep well, ok?"

Heidi gave the woman a gentle smile. "I'll do my best, Mrs. Cunningham. Good night."

She stepped into the first guest bedroom, immediately realizing that Howard had conked out on the bed, his clothes still on. Heidi gently covered her brother with a blanket, shut off the lights, and tiptoed down the hall to the next bedroom.

* * *

Howard may have looked asleep, and he was, but he also wasn't. Confusing, yes, but not once a person considers that he was talking to Randy via his head.

_"Wait, you mean Viceroy didn't even try to figure out who you were?" _Howard thought to his friend in disbelief.

Randy, still hanging on that stupid wall, sighed._"No. I don't get it, Howard. Why doesn't he care about who I am?"_

Howard paused before giving his answer_. __"Did you ever notice that Viceroy seems to care more about whether or not his machines work or not than unmasking the ninja? I think he only wants to do that so McFist keeps him employed."_

_"What are you saying, Howard?" _Randy asked in confusion.

Howard rolled his eyes. _"Dude, you can't figure out what I'm trying to say, yet you can figure out the Nomicon?"_

_"Cut me some slack!" _Randy cried. _"I'm kind of chained to a wall here!"_

Howard winced._"Right. Sorry, man. Look, I think Viceroy just wants to be appreciated for his genius. I don't think he actually really wants to hurt anyone, especially not kids. Maybe if you hinted at the fact that-"_

_"Howard, you know that could give me away," _Randy said softly.

Howard nodded. _"No, I know. What I was going to say is hint that the ninja isn't some immortal 800 year old person."_

_"He might call McFist off," _Randy mused.

Howard shrugged. _"Right. I mean, you can't guarantee it, but it's worth a shot."_

Randy nodded, ready to respond, when suddenly the torture room was flooded with light, burning Randy's corneas. The boy yelped and moved subconsciously to shield his eyes, only to be stopped by the chains.

"Hope you got a nice rest, Ninja," McFist said over the loudspeaker, "cause I did. Now back to our regularly scheduled torture!"

Randy groaned. "Oh, come on McFist! Give me a little slack!"

"Never! Viceroy, hit the button!"

Viceroy sighed slightly and glanced down apologetically at the ninja. "Yes sir."

He pressed a button and all of a sudden, the robots surrounding Randy came to life, all of them rising up on their hind legs and stalking towards him.

"Ah, this is wonk," Randy muttered, shrinking back as much as the chains would allow.

The robots advanced on him and the first one grabbed Randy by the waist hard enough that he heard bones snap. The ninja yelped, his arms jerking the chains anxiously.

The next robot moved up as Randy struggled, trying his best not to black out from the pain. It reached up and gripped the edge of the mask, and Randy's vision went blood red.

"Don't touch the mask," he growled.

To his utter surprise, the mask glowed a bright red and the robot melted into a pile of goo in front of his eyes. The robot holding Randy automatically let go.

Because of the chains, Randy swung backwards, his broken ribs smacking hard against the concrete wall. He screamed, clamping down so hard on his tongue that he tasted blood.

_"Come on, Cunningham, you can get through this!" _Howard yelled in his head. Randy could hear the worry, the fear, in his friend's voice, and that gave him enough strength to look up with murderous eyes at McFist.

"Why can't we get the mask off?!" the man screamed in anger.

Randy smirked. "Maybe it doesn't like your grubby robot minion hands," he taunted, the spark in his eyes coming back.

McFist scowled. "Why you little…"

"Besides, Viceroy does all the work on the robots. You just tell them what to do. Maybe they won't take off the mask until Viceroy tells them to," Randy said mockingly, a smirk in his eyes.

McFist whipped around to glare at Viceroy, who quickly held up his hands. "Sir, the robots are made to listen to both of our commands equally. I don't know why they can't take off that mask."

McFist glared at the man for a good two minutes before turning back around towards the ninja. "What? Don't want us seeing how you've managed to live this long in the guise of a teenager? That it? Cause we'll figure it out one day," the man hissed.

Randy snorted. "Sure you will," he muttered, trying to ignore the throbbing in his sides.

McFist practically snarled and slammed his mechanical hand down on the electrocution button. Electricity spluttered up and down the chains and shocked the ninja, hard.

Randy screeched at the top of his lungs, the pain a million times worse now thanks to his broken ribs. He felt like he was being ripped in half.

Viceroy watched this, a slow lump growing in his throat as he watched this kid thrash around in agony.

"Geez, McFist, I'm not freaking immortal!" Randy screamed. "You're going to kill me!"

McFist grinned eagerly and amped up the electricity. "Good," he muttered.

"Damn. That seriously backfired," Randy whispered to himself, relieved at the slight break before McFist hit the button again.

As the boy screamed, he realized that he could no longer feel his toes. That probably wasn't good.

Viceroy couldn't stand it anymore. "Sir! Please, don't you think we should get him to confess who he is before you…dispose of him?"

He pulled his boss's hand off the button and McFist whipped around, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Viceroy, you've been hindering this since the beginning. I'm sick of you."

The man clapped his hands together, and before Viceroy could do anything, a couple of robots grabbed him and dragged him from the room.

Viceroy cursed under his breath before ordering the robots to let him go.

Neither did so, and Willem started to panic. These had to be the robots that he had programmed only for McFist. Why the heck had he even thought to do that?

To his surprise, when he looked up Viceroy found himself being dragged into the torture room. Which meant…

"Ah, shit," the man muttered.

The ninja looked up weakly, his eyes widening when he saw Viceroy. "What the juice are you playing at, McFist?" the ninja yelled at the mad (utterly mad) scientist.

Viceroy struggled as he found himself being attached in chains next to the ninja. McFist laughed.

"Nah, don't worry. He's just here to watch. I won't hurt him. Unless, of course, I think it might make you tell who you are."

The ninja scoffed. "Yeah right. Why would I feel any sympathy towards your sidekick here?"

Viceroy was a little upset about being named a sidekick, but he suddenly realized, with perfect clarity, that the ninja was trying to protect him.

McFist smirked as the robots finished their jobs and clomped away. "Right. We'll see about that."

That was when Viceroy felt sparks running up and down his arms. The pain, though it wasn't much, if any at all, slowly started to increase until it felt like he was sticking a fork in a toaster. The man gave a small yelp and the ninja whipped his head around, looking at him with the smallest hint of concern.

Viceroy kept his voice low, realizing now that his boss was absolutely insane. "Don't show sympathy. Any. Tell Howard to call my wife and kids and tell them to get the hell out of Norrisville."

The ninja visibly gulped, and then turned his head away, smirking at McFist. "Really? You're planning on killing him just to get to me? You know I don't care, right?"

The malice in the ninja's voice was so real that for a moment, McFist stopped and Viceroy looked over at the hero in surprise.

The boy's eyes were squinted slightly, and he was staring at the floor in front of him. Viceroy let himself relax a little. The ninja was telling Howard.

"One less thing to worry about," Viceroy muttered as McFist amped up the electricity.

* * *

**Be honest. I just blew your minds. **

**Hopefully I didn't blow them enough to hinder your ability to review….**


	10. Some More Blown Minds

**CHAPTER 10- Bam. Chapter 10. I am loving this fic!**

**Rachealninja10: I know. I'm seriously expecting it. **

**SariSpy56: Well, you should probably pick it up. (:**

**Guest: Um….911? Red Cross? I don't know who to call in that kind of situation…**

**Living Encyclopedia: Yes, we're all well aware. Lol**

**Blossom3345: Well, he's not angr-no, scratch that. He's probably very angry. (:**

**CupidsLover: Getting? Man, I've got to work on my suspense skills…I've told you I love your pic, right?**

**DarkinUnderground: I LOVE VICEROY! As I'm sure EVERYONE knows by now. **

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. Blargh. Ninja Camp coming out soon…I've already watched it online though. (:**

* * *

_"One less thing to worry about," Viceroy muttered as McFist amped up the electricity. _

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Randy watched the man to the left of him struggle to control his screams, and he quickly squinted at the ground. _"Howard. Geez, Howard, answer me now."_

Howard responded almost immediately_. __"Randy? What's wrong? You know, besides the usual."_

_"McFist shoved Viceroy in the torture chamber with me."_

There was silence for a moment as Howard processed this. _"Wait, you mean like, he's torturing Viceroy?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Why?! I thought they were partners or whatever!" _Howard said in disbelief.

Randy sighed softly, keeping a sharp eye on Viceroy. _"McFist thinks that if he tortures Viceroy, he'll get me to crack. But dude, Viceroy told me to ignore him. He wants you to call his wife and tell her to get out of the city."_

_"He wants me to _what?"

_"I know. Dude, you've got to do it. You heard from Viceroy what McFist will do to them."_

_"I don't know his number!"_

Randy muttered a curse under his breath and looked over at Viceroy, who was panting heavily. The electricity had momentarily stopped, and Randy glanced up and over at McFist. "Why'd you stop?" he asked out of pure curiosity.

McFist smirked. "I knew you'd react to it eventually."

Randy shrugged as best he could. "Well, no, not really. It was just kind of…kind of funny," he said, detesting the taste of the untrue words in his mouth.

"Thanks ever so much, Ninja," Viceroy growled, doing his best to uphold his part.

McFist growled in rage and punched the electricity buttons for both of them in annoyance.

As the electricity rocketed up Randy's spine, he managed to gasp out, "Number. Phone number," in a quiet enough tone so that McFist wouldn't hear.

Viceroy managed to look over at Randy, his teeth gritted in pain. McFist had obviously amped up the voltage even further. Viceroy wasn't sure how the ninja had stood it. Maybe it was that suit.

"842-3769," he said, just as quietly. **(If that's someone's actual number, then sorry! It works…and if it is your number, that is so cool)**

Randy rapidly told Howard the number, trying to keep conscious, and something dawned on him. "That spells Viceroy," he muttered.

Viceroy let out a small snort, and then a sharp scream. Randy whipped his head around and winced. The man had just as much electricity running up and down his legs as Randy, only the boy knew that it must be ten times worse for Viceroy because he didn't have a ninja suit, which absorbed a lot of the pain.

McFist gave a sound of discontent and slammed his hand down on the microphone, switching of the electricity. "Maybe I'll just leave you in here. See how you like that," he shouted at them.

Randy opened his mouth to say something, but Viceroy quickly cut him off. "No! God, McFist, don't leave me here!"

Catching on to what he was doing, Randy yelped, "Yeah! Please, I hate the dark! I can't be left in here!"

To make it more convincing, the boy started bawling. Viceroy looked at him in slight surprise. Man, that kid could win a Grammy!

McFist smirked, hit a lever, and the entire room went pitch black. "See how you like that," the man snarled.

The sound of a door closing rang through the room and Viceroy sighed. "You can stop crying, Ninja. That was pretty good."

The man went silent, and then suddenly realized that the boy actually was crying. "Hey…Ninja, come on. At least he's leaving us alone for a while," the man said softly, feeling terrible sympathy for the boy.

The ninja hiccupped. "That's not it, Viceroy. My ribs are broken, and that electricity…it doesn't help at all."

Willem winced. "I'm so sorry, kid," he said softly.

There was utter silence for a moment, and then the ninja whispered so softly that Viceroy had to strain his ears to hear the words he said.

"Randy. My name's Randy."

* * *

Howard paced the early morning light filled living room, listening to the phone ring in his ear. Heidi sat tiredly on the couch, watching her brother in concern.

Finally, _finally, _someone picked up the other line.

"Hello?" came a groggy voice.

"Hi, is this Mrs. Viceroy?"

Howard felt weird calling someone that, considering he always referred to Viceroy as if that were his first name, but he had no other option.

The voice immediately woke up. "Yes. Who's this?"

"Listen, ma'am, you don't know me. Um, my name is Howard, and I got word from your husband."

"Willem?" said the woman nervously. "What's wrong with him?"

Howard winced. "I'm not sure, ma'am, but he told me to tell you that he needs you to get out of this city now. Take your kids with you."

The woman gave a small sob and Howard grimaced, looking to Heidi for help. The girl quickly put the phone on speaker, speaking softly.

"Miss? My name is Heidi, Howard's sister. How should we refer to you?"

The woman gave a sigh. "My name's Alice. Kids, do you know what's wrong with my husband? I do know what he does for a living, if that's the reason you're not telling me."

Howard and Heidi glanced at each other. "Alice," Heidi said softly, "you're husband and McFist managed to capture the ninja. But, Viceroy felt so badly that he started interfering with McFist's torture process."

The woman groaned. "Oh Willem. He always was soft. Just wanted people to appreciate his inventions."

Howard nodded. "We understand. However, McFist…well, he kind of added your husband to the torture room. Viceroy's afraid that McFist is going to come after you, so he wants you to get out of the city."

Alice sighed. "He knew this was going to happen. I thank you kids for calling me. Can I keep your number? That way you can somehow let Willem know when I'm safe."

Her voice was so anxious that the siblings automatically responded, "Yes, of course."

They gave Alice Randy's home phone number and hung up as the woman started waking her kids up.

Howard slumped back in his chair with a gulp. "That is one of the hardest things I've ever done."

Heidi rubbed his shoulder gently. "It'll be ok, Howard. We'll get Randy and Viceroy out. Based on what's going on, he doesn't sound so bad."

Howard gave a thin smile. "He's tons better than McFist, that's for sure."

"I could have guessed that," Heidi muttered.

The siblings sat in silence for a moment. Howard kept glancing over at his sister, until finally Heidi sighed in exasperation. "What is it, Howard?"

Howard hesitated, chewing on his lower lip. "Do you like Randy?"

Heidi blinked in surprise and turned to look at her brother. "What? Of course! I don't want anything to happen to him!"

Howard shook his head, shifting his position on the couch. "No, Heidi. I…I mean, do you like him?"

Heidi's eyes widened ever so slightly and she looked down at the carpet, which was how Howard knew he was right. "Heidi," he said softly, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder.

Heidi glanced up at him with a thin smile. "Go ahead. Make fun of me. Call me names. Tell me it's gross."

She looked away again and Howard frowned. "I mean…yeah, it's kind of gross…he is my best friend. But Heidi, it's not like I actually care."

Heidi's eyebrows shot up and she turned back to her brother in surprise. "Huh?"

Howard shrugged. "I figured it out like, eight hours ago. At first I was really creeped out, but I got over it. You know, mostly."

Heidi shook her head slowly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "I don't understand. Why?"

The boy rubbed his neck. "I figured-and this is a little far-fetched, mind you- but I figured that if Randy liked you back that…well, it would be good for my sister not to be with some jerky schoob."

A grin spread across Heidi's face and she lightly noogied her brother's head. "Aw, thanks Howard. That means a lot."

Howard rolled his eyes and ducked out of his sister's grasp. "Yeah, yeah. But if he doesn't like you, you've got to get over him, ok?"

Heidi nodded, fiddling with the hair tie she had wrapped around her wrist. "I know. I've already thought about that. Man, I can't believe you're not more freaked out about this."

Howard shrugged, leaning back on the couch and kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. "Believe me, on the inside, I'm screaming."

Heidi looked over at him with an amused smile. "So what do we do now?"

Howard glanced briefly at his watch. "Well, it's almost five in the morning. We should probably put our plan into action, because I'm not getting any more sleep until we get Viceroy and Randy out of there."

Heidi nodded. "I know what you mean. Should we wake up Mrs. Cunningham?"

The younger of the two pondered this for a minute before shaking his head. "No. I hate to say it, but she would probably change her mind and want to come with us. Plus, someone needs to stay here in case Viceroy's wife calls back."

Heidi sighed. "I know. I was thinking the same thing. We need to at least leave her a note."

Howard pulled a piece of paper and pen from the coffee table and quickly jotted down a note to the woman, depicting where they had gone, and their thanks to her for letting them stay over.

He set it down on the table and then turned to his backpack. "Ok, so obviously we bring the Nomicon, and some food and a change of clothes for Randy. Uh…first aid kit…anything else you can think of, Heidi?"

Heidi turned to her backpack and pulled out a roll of duct tape. Howard raised an eyebrow and Heidi smiled. "You never know. Duct tape can fix anything."

Howard shrugged and tossed it into the bag, zipping up the sac and handing it to Heidi, who looked at it with a raised eyebrow.

Howard sighed. "Come on, Heidi. We both know that I'm big enough on my own. As much as I hate to say it, you'll be able to sneak around better with that than I could."

Heidi rolled her eyes and slid the straps over her shoulders. "So how do we get to Randy? I mean, we have a blueprint of the building, but that doesn't help with security measures."

Howard frowned, tapping his chin in thought as the two moved towards the door. "Well…let me ask Randy, to see what he knows."

The boy shut his eyes for a moment, and then gasped, his eyes flying open, his hand grasping the doorknob so tightly that it almost fell off the door.

"Howard?" Heidi said in concern. "What's wrong?"

Howard gulped and looked up at his sister. "Randy. He told Viceroy…he told him that he's the ninja."

* * *

**Bum bum bum.**

**I've got to stop blowing your minds. I'll never get any reviews….**

**And I hate the italicize button on this dumb thing...I have to go through and make everything normal again. **


	11. Pouring It Out

**CHAPTER 11- AHHHH! CREATION IS IN A WEEK! Seriously, is anyone else going? At all? Really? Blargh. Come on….you could meet ME. Ok, that sounded full of it.**

**Cerebral Anarchist: Don't worry, that will be addressed later on in the story. Good question, though. You're the first to have asked it. (:**

**SariSpy56: Well, Viceroy vs. McFist would be interesting, but it won't be in here. **

**CupidsLover: Seriously though. Best pic ever. But the Randy/Heidi thing? It'll kind of work out…you'll see.**

**DarkinUnderground: Time to time? Man, I need to bring up my game! LOL**

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. Gah. I learned how to draw him, though. (:**

* * *

_Howard gulped and looked up at his sister. "Randy. He told Viceroy…he told him that he's the ninja."_

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Viceroy could only stare at the general area where the ninja was because it was so dark. "Pardon me?" he said softly.

The boy sighed again. "I said, my name is Randy."

Viceroy leaned back heavily against the wall, his weight pulling hard on the cuffs around his wrists. A shiver moved down his spine.

The ninja had just told him who he was. Viceroy gulped loudly.

Over the last few months, he had wondered, day in and day out, who this kid was. And here, in a matter of five minutes of being chained to a wall together, the kid had told him.

"Viceroy?"

Willem looked up and over in the general direction of the Nin- Randy. "Yes, Ninja?"

Randy paused for a moment. "I mean, you don't have to call me that. I told you who-"

"Shut up," Viceroy hissed, turning his eyes anxiously towards the surveillance cameras in the corner, only identifiable by their red record light. "Just because you told me doesn't mean McFist needs to know."

Randy let out a small sound of surprise. "You're…you're not going to tell him?"

Viceroy shook his head, and then remembered that Randy couldn't see him. "No," he whispered. "I'm not. As much as it weirds me out, we're in this together now. I can only get out if you do, or if I tell McFist who you are. And since you've helped me…that's not an option anymore."

Randy smiled in relief. "Thanks, Viceroy. So…I guess we're stuck here for a while, huh?"

Willem sighed. "Until McFist realizes we were punking him about being scared of the dark…you aren't scared of the dark, are you?"

Randy snorted. "Heck no. I'm fourteen. Haven't been scared of the dark since I was six…Viceroy?"

Viceroy was frozen, his jaw working anxiously as he tried not to beat himself up. The kid was only fourteen. That was the age of his daughters. Yeesh. And yet, this kid protected everyone in Norrisville…from his monsters.

For a moment, Viceroy couldn't have hated himself more.

"Viceroy?" Randy called softly.

Willem shook his head. "Sorry, Ninja. I'm good. Well, since we're stuck here…what do you want to know about me?"

"Huh?" Randy twisted his neck around to stare at the outline of the man, his ribs screaming in protest. "I mean…it doesn't matter."

Viceroy shrugged, causing his chains to clank. "I mean…I have a wife named Alice, and twin daughters that are your age named Holly and Charlotte."

Randy raised an eyebrow. "And yet you do this for a living?" he said incredulously.

Viceroy winced. "I know, right? But the need for monster creating geniuses is severely lacking right now."

Randy shook his head, not that Viceroy could see him. "I don't get it. Didn't you go to MSU for that reason; to become an evil scientist?"

Willem sighed. "Originally, yes. But then I met Alice, and after the twins were born…I realized what an awful mistake that had been. No one looks at my resume now and sees anything besides MSU. Sometimes I wish Jerry had beaten me out…"

Randy cocked his head. "But then the world would have been blown up," he pointed out.

Viceroy nodded. "True, very true. Scratch that conversation. I wish there was no MSU."

Randy smiled sympathetically and shifted slightly. That was a mistake, because his ribs yelled at him angrily. Randy let out a stifled gasp and Viceroy glanced over in his direction.

"Ninja? You ok?"

Randy gulped. "Yeah, I'm-ah-ok, not fine. Not fine at all."

Viceroy winced. "Your ribs?"

"Mm-hm," Randy managed to murmur, squinting his eyes shut.

Willem sighed and thunked his head back against the wall. There was no hope of rescue for both of them until Howard got there. And there was no hope of rescue for only Randy if Howard didn't get there, period.

"Ninja."

There was no answer, and Viceroy pulled his head up so quickly that he thought he had gotten whiplash for a moment.

"Ninja?"

Still no answer. Viceroy gulped, and then whispered ever so softly, "Randy?"

Randy groaned. "Five more minutes, Mom."

Viceroy grimaced. Crap. He was out of it, which was definitely not good. McFist would have a field day torturing the ninja if he didn't sarcastically fight back.

"Ninja, I want you to tell me about your friends. Right now," Willem said softly, wishing he could lean over and smack the kid awake.

Randy struggled to keep his eyes open, knowing that his dead weight (no pun intended) on the chains would basically kill his ribs and inner organs. "Right…my...my friends. Um…you met Howard. Pretty sarcastic. I've known him since we were…since we were like, four. Maybe five. I don't…I don't know…"

"Ninja," Viceroy snapped. "Get Howard to talk to you. Right now. Or keep talking yourself."

Randy shook his head slowly. "Right. Um…He's…he's my best friend ever. He's known I was the ninja for…almost the whole time I have been."

Viceroy's eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean, the whole time you have been?"

Randy chuckled softly. "There's…there's a ninja chosen every four years. A new freshmen. So that the old ninja doesn't risk being discovered."

Viceroy's mind was officially blown. He had never known that every four years there was a new ninja. He thought McFist had been fighting the same person for over twenty years. "Is the ninja ever a girl?"

Randy coughed. "I would assume so. I've met some girls that would make some kick-butt ninjas."

Willem chuckled. "So, you were saying about Howard?"

"Yeah. My best friend. God, I don't know what…what I'd do without him. Probably explode or something. But he's always got my back, you know? Every time. Well, except that one time with…with Dickie. But that's…it's not important."

Viceroy was actually curious about this Dickie character, but he didn't say anything. "What about some of your other friends?"

Randy remained silent, and for a moment Viceroy thought the kid had fallen asleep again. But then he spoke, albeit softly. "I don't…I don't have many other friends. There are kids I hang out with, but they don't seem like…like real friends to me. You know?"

The ex-evil scientist sighed. "Yeah. I know what you mean, kid."

He paused for a moment, and then said, "Well, what about Howard's…was that his sister? It's obvious she knew who you were."

"Yeah," Randy said softly, his voice growing raspy from talking so much and drinking so little. "I…I only told her who I was yesterday, when she came to me about that ransom note McFist sent. She was pretty…pretty chill about it."

Viceroy smiled faintly, raising an eyebrow. "Do you like her?"

Randy cleared his throat. "I mean, yeah. She's my best friend's sister. She can be kind of annoying, sometimes. But all in all she's…she's pretty cool."

Willem shook his head. "No, I mean do you…how do you kids put it these days? Like like? _Like? _Have a middle school crush on?"

Randy spluttered in surprise. "Wh-what? You're….you're kidding, right? Right, Viceroy?"

Viceroy smirked. "See, it was that exact reaction that tells me I was right."

The ninja rolled his eyes and slumped back ever so slightly, his arms feeling like they were ready to fall out of his sockets. "Whatever. She's a junior, and I'm a freshmen. Besides, I don't know if I actually, you know…_like _her. It could just be stupid teenage boy hormones."

Viceroy chuckled. "Maybe. But hey, you never know."

Randy groaned. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation with my arch-nemesis' ex-assistant. This is a conversation I should be having with…"

He fell silent and Viceroy tilted his head in Randy's direction. "Who? Howard?"

Randy gave a sharp laugh. "Heck no. If he knew that I might like his sister? Yeesh, I can't even imagine what that would do to our friendship."

"With your dad?" Viceroy suggested.

He was met with silence and Viceroy looked over, straining to see the outline of the boy. "Ninja?"

"Not with my dad," Randy whispered, his voice hoarse, and yet at the same time depressed.

Although he knew it was none of his business, Viceroy felt the need to pry. "Why not?"

Randy sighed softly. "He uh…he passed away when I was like, three years old. I never really knew him well. I just…just have this kind of memory of a tall guy with a beard. That's about it."

Viceroy winced. Him and his big mouth. "I'm sorry, kid," he said quietly, staring at the floor.

Randy gave a thin smile. "It's ok, Viceroy. You didn't know."

Viceroy cleared his throat, staring at the floor. "Ninja, as much as I hate to admit it, you should probably stop talking to me. Your voice sounds awful. Talk to Howard, ok?"

"Sure, Viceroy," Randy said, shutting his eyes and wishing he could rub his temples. He had a splitting headache, but he still dove into the corners of his mind and contacted Howard.

"_Howard. Hoooowwwwaaarrrrddddd."_

"_What do you want, Cunningham?"_

Randy jerked back a little at the harshness of his friend's voice. He certainly hadn't expected that. _"I just…I'm having a hard time staying conscious, and I needed someone to talk to. I…I haven't had anything to drink in a while, so talking to Viceroy wasn't really an option."_

"_Oh, but you managed to tell him who the ninja really was? Smart move, Cunningham."_

Randy mouthed a silent curse and then shook his head. _"How'd you know? I didn't tell you."_

"_Dude, you may not realize it, but when you talk, you think what you're saying. So I've been able to hear everything. Heidi and I are halfway to McFist headquarters, by the way."_

Randy gasped quietly, his fists clenching involuntarily. _"Why didn't you say something?"_

He could practically see Howard shrug. _"You can't do much until we're just outside of the building."_

"_True…but Howard, one thing. I know you're mad, but Viceroy's been helping me a lot."_

His mind's version of Howard held up its hands. _"I know what you're going to ask, Randy. Heidi and I already discussed it, and the answer is yeah."_

Randy sent a silent thank you to Howard. _"Thanks, bro."_

"_No problemo. We just have to figure out how to get both of you out of there now."_

* * *

**So. Howard hears EVERYTHING Randy says. Hmmmm….**

**And I took Viceroy's kid's names from my other Randy Cunningham one-shot, to stay consistent. Or maybe I'm just lazy. Or both. **

**Randy's dad needed a spot in here...even if I did make him dead. Sorry, Mr. Cunningham. **

**Review please! (:**


	12. It's All Muscle

**CHAPTER 12-I…have no witty comment for the beginning of this chapter.**

**Guest: What? Who's a stalker?**

**Cerebral Anarchist: OMG, I didn't even think of that! Whoa. Mind….blown. Look, there it goes, out the window!**

**Anyway, I don't own Randy Cunningham. Blah blah blah. **

**Wow. That was a really short author's note. You guys must be screaming for joy. **

* * *

"_No problemo. We just have to figure out how to get both of you out of there now."_

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Howard wished he had taken the backpack, because then he could be anxiously tugging on the straps. As it was, he was practically pulling his fingers off of his hand in worry as Heidi knelt in the alley, rummaging through the bag.

"Did you ask Randy about the security system?" Heidi asked, glancing up at her brother as she tucked a roll of duct tape over her wrist so that it looked like some kind of fashionable bracelet.

Howard nodded. "Yeah. He's talking to Viceroy right now."

Heidi shook her head and glanced up at the lightening sky. "Whatever he says, we need to hurry. We need to be back at Randy's house by about seven."

"What time is it now?" Howard questioned, taking the Nomicon from Heidi as she held it out.

Heidi looked down at her watch. "About five A.M."

Howard tucked the Nomicon into a hidden pocket on the inside of his jacket and buttoned one of the buttons closed so that it wouldn't fall out.

"_Howard, I talked to Viceroy," _Randy's voice suddenly said in his head, _"and he said that if you guys have a computer with you and you're good at hacking, he can give you the code to temporarily shut off the security system."_

Howard frowned slowly, staring up at the sky. _"How do we know that he won't turn on us and make us get captured by the security system?"_

Randy sighed. _"Howard, he'd be stuck here if he did. I don't think McFist trusts him anymore. Speaking of McFist, he's still asleep, so you guys are good to go."_

Howard nodded and turned to Heidi, who was watching him curiously. "Heidi, you're good at hacking, right?"

Heidi frowned. "Well, yeah, but why?"

"Because," Howard said, pulling his sister's laptop out of the backpack and handing it to her, "we need you to shut off the security system."

Heidi looked up in surprise and then gave an evil smirk. Howard was glad she was on his side. "If you can hack into McFist's site, Viceroy can give us the security shut down code. How long will it take you to-?"

"Done," Heidi interrupted proudly, looking up from the laptop. "What's the code?"

Howard opened and closed his mouth, feeling like a fish. "How….never mind. I don't really want to know."

He shut his eyes for a moment. _"Randy? What's that code?"_

"_Huh? Bro, did Heidi hack the thing already?"_

"_Yup. She's waiting for the code."_

Randy chuckled, a sound that echoed through Howard's head. He came back a moment later. _"Wow. Ok, so the code is-"_

***WARNING: Code not given so you cannot hack into McFist industries. If the need ever arises, contact Howard Weinerman via your mind.***

Heidi put the code in carefully, trying her best not to mess it in. She glanced up with a raised eyebrow. "Is that seriously the code? It's so dumb! And really easy…"

Howard nodded. "According to Viceroy. Oh, Randy says not to hit the button yet. We'll only have thirty minutes while everything's down. Then the backup system kicks in and turns everything back on."

Heidi nodded and set the laptop on the ground, studying the blueprints. "There's a vent here leading to a meeting room," she said, pointing at the paper. "We should be able to get in that way."

Howard grinned. "Nice. Come on, let's go."

Heidi rolled up the blueprints and shoved them into the backpack, before shouldering the sack and following Howard out of the alley into the dim morning light.

They snuck down the street and turned the corner onto McFist Road (yes, he was so pompous that he had his own street.)

Heidi gestured her brother into the side alley on the edge of McFist industries, leading him directly to the vent she had indicated.

As soon as she got there, Heidi pulled off the backpack and slid her laptop out. She finished inserting the code and pressed the send key. A small little icon in the shape of a thumbs up appeared, along with the words, "Security System Down Successfully."

Heidi glanced at her watch and pressed a button, setting her timer.

She put her laptop back into the bag and hid the backpack behind a few trashcans. "Ok, hopefully all we need is this lock picking kit, this duct tape, and the Nomicon. Everything else is in the bag, which I don't want to drag along."

Howard raised an eyebrow. "Um, what about the blueprints?"

Heidi sighed. "I wish. But they're too big to carry around and it would take too long to search. We have to hurry."

Howard nodded and turned to the vent, cracking his knuckles. With one swift move, he kicked the side of the vent, effectively making the cover come loose. The boy grabbed it in his hands and yanked with all his might. The cover came off so quickly that Howard had to backpedal so that he wouldn't fall over.

He put the cover down and looked up to find Heidi staring at him. "What? I'm big, but it's all muscles, sister," the boy said with a grin.

Heidi shook her head with a grin and clambered into the vent shaft, moving quickly. Howard glanced back once over his shoulder and then pulled himself into the shaft after his sister.

Heidi crawled steadily, keeping a close eye on her watch. The timer was set to go off five minutes before the security system was put back into place, so that she and Howard could get out safely.

Only two minutes had passed before she turned a slight corner and found herself in front of another vent cover. She peered through the slats and smiled when she saw that it was indeed an empty meeting room she was looking in to.

However, try as she might, she could not pry the cover loose, or kick it in. "Howard," she hissed, "I can't get this vent cover off. Can you get around me?"

Howard hesitated, peering around in the dim lighting. There was very little space as it was, and Howard knew there had to be only a few inches of extra room. "I…maybe. How close to the wall can you get?"

So began the awkward trials of Howard trying to get past his sister, with them ending in some fairly uncomfortable positions. Finally, after a good five minutes (which Heidi knew they could have avoided if only Howard had gone in first), Howard was in front of his sister. He glanced back at her. "Ok, next time…I go first."

Heidi nodded. "Agreed."

With one simple kick, Howard knocked the vent cover to the floor, which, luckily, was carpeted so no one could hear it.

Howard jumped out lightly and turned to make room for Heidi, who leapt out and landed silently on the ground. She started for the door, but Howard quickly grabbed her wrist. "Hang on. Heidi, what if someone comes in and sees the vent broken? They'll know someone broke in."

Heidi pondered this for a moment, keeping an eye on her watch. They had already wasted seven minutes. "All right. Hand me the cover."

With the duct tape around her wrist, Heidi strapped the cover back on, making it look like nothing was wrong with it. Of course, closer inspection would reveal otherwise, but the siblings hoped that it wouldn't come to that.

Heidi smirked as she started for the door. "Told you duct tape would come in handy."

Howard held up his hands and twisted the door knob lightly. "Hey, I never disagreed with you, sis."

He peered out into the well-lit hallway, his eyes scouring the area. No one was in sight, so he and Heidi slipped out the door and stood for a moment, glancing around. "Where would the torture room be?" Heidi asked softly.

Howard looked around, thinking that maybe he should ask Randy, when his eyes caught sight of a sign on the ceiling. He smirked and pointed to it. "That way, apparently," he said, starting towards the right.

Heidi looked at the sign in surprise. "What kind of evil scientist puts directions to his torture chamber on the walls?"

Howard snorted. "McFist. He's an evil scientist, not an evil genius. That was Viceroy's department."

Heidi nodded, staying close to her brother. "True."

They walked in silence for a moment, Heidi anxiously checking her watch every few seconds. They only had about fifteen minutes left before they had to turn back. There was no way they would-

"There it is!" Howard said softly, pointing to a door at the end of the hall.

Heidi rolled her eyes. Never mind.

They had just started down the hallway when at least four robot apes flew around the other corner and spotted them.

Howard and Heidi glanced at each other, and then without speaking dove at the robots.

* * *

Viceroy whipped his head up as he heard smashing metal in the hallway. "What in the world?" the man yelped, straining to see the doorway.

Randy, who had grown much more tired over the last thirty minutes, wearily lifted his head, his eyes dull and lifeless. "What…what is it?" he whispered, his throat crackling with the effort of speaking.

Viceroy winced at the sound. Randy had had nothing to drink since Viceroy's water bottle at ten o'clock the night before. Seeing as how it was probably around six am now, maybe a little earlier, the kid hadn't had anything to drink for over seven hours. That was a long time, and with the strain McFist had put on Randy's limbs from the electricity, it probably seemed like even longer to the boy.

Willem shook his head. "I'm not sure, kid. Sounds like my robots. But I don't-"

The door was suddenly thrown open and the room was flooded with light. As Viceroy's eyes adjusted, he took in the sight of Howard standing in the doorway, a tool in his hand and fire in his eyes.

"Man, you do _not _want to be a robot ape right now," he chuckled.

* * *

**Haha. Robot apes fail. So much. **

**I'm just updating all over the place today. Enjoying this. Enjoying this so much. (:**

**Review!**


	13. Escape

**CHAPTER 13-Chapter 13. But it just said that…I love the feedback on this story! You guys rock!**

**SariSpy56: Well, gee. Let's see….read this chapter (:**

**CupidsLover: but seriously. All siblings fight, but they all love each other (look at me and my brothers :P )**

**Reid Phantom: Ha-ha. Dude, I was just too lazy to come up with a code. I'm so happy. That worked out so much better than any code I could have ever come up with. **

**Blossom3345: Knowing McFist, it would be something like that. But no, like I said, I was just too lazy to think up something funny. Who would have ever thought that I did. (:**

**Guest: Well, pick up the pieces of your mind and try again. Or find his phone number (if there really is a Howard Weinerman out there, I will die)**

**DarkinUnderground: I thought Howard needed something epic (:**

**MasterDuelistMichael: Well, she has a web show, so I figured that she has to be really good with computers. Hence, hacking. I know not all people with web shows can hack, but I thought it was a nice touch. **

**Wow. That author's note was much longer than my last one. Thanks to you guys for reviewing! This story is the fourth most reviewed Randy Cunningham story! You all ROCK.**

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. Because if I did, there would be new episodes airing every week.**

* * *

"_Man, you do not want to be a robot ape right now," he chuckled. _

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Howard flicked on the light switch in the room, flooding the place with light. Viceroy cast an anxious look up at the torture control room, but McFist was nowhere to be seen.

Howard darted over to the two and when his eyes landed on Randy, he froze, his tool-Viceroy could see now that it was part of a lock picking kit-falling to the floor.

"Geez, Cunningham," Howard whispered softly. "You didn't say it was this bad."

Randy gave a harsh chuckle and looked up to meet his friend's eyes. "Get…get Viceroy out first. He can help."

Howard looked at Viceroy, unsure. The man nodded to his lab coat. "There's a key to these restraints in my pocket. I couldn't reach them from this position."

Howard nodded slowly and reached up, sticking his hand into the man's pocket and pulling out the key. He hesitated for a long moment, before glancing back at Randy uncertainly.

The ninja nodded and Howard sighed, leaning over and unlocking the man's restraints.

Viceroy gave a small yelp and dropped to the ground, quickly finding his footing under him. He groaned as he stood, rubbing his shoulders hard.

His body felt like it was on fire, but he was sure Randy's injuries were worse.

"Howard, hang on," the man said quickly, before Howard could let Randy out. The boy scowled.

"I knew you'd turn on us," he muttered.

Viceroy quickly shook his head. "No, Howard, some of his ribs are broken. He can't drop like I did."

Howard's features relaxed and he looked at Randy in worry.

A girl's head poked in the room, and Viceroy could only assume that this was Heidi. "Howard, come on," she hissed. "We only have eight minutes left before my watch goes off."

Howard nodded and looked at Viceroy pleadingly. The man stepped up next to Randy and hesitated, not sure how to do this. Randy glanced at him.

"Let Howard unlock the restraints, and then catch me," he said softly. "It'll hurt like crazy, but I won't fall on the floor."

Viceroy nodded and steadied his hands, nodding to Howard. The boy knelt and with a quick glance up, unlocked the restraints.

It happened in a split second. Randy dropped like a sack of potatoes and Viceroy whipped his hands out, grabbing him hard around the chest.

Randy's body shuddered and the boy let out a yell, which he quickly cut off by biting his lip so hard that he once again drew blood.

Viceroy winced and quickly shifted Randy in his arms, doing it fast so that the pain wouldn't last as long.

Howard gestured him to the door quickly and they ran into the hallway to join Heidi.

Viceroy stopped in surprise at the carnage in the hallways. Every robot had been taken down and duct taped together so that they couldn't move. Heidi held up her roll of tape and grinned. "Duct tape. Fixes everything."

She caught sight of Randy, practically passed out in Viceroy's arms, and her face grew somber. "Come on. We've got-"

Her watch beeped and she winced. "Five minutes. Hurry!"

Howard quickly backtracked to the room they had entered in and Heidi, once everyone was in, shut and locked the door as Howard pulled off the duct taped vent cover. He clambered in first and then turned around. "Ok, hand the ninja over," he said, moving quickly.

Viceroy handed Randy in to Howard, trying to ignore the boy's muffled gasps and cries of pain, and then pulled himself in after.

He shuffled forward to make room for Heidi, who quickly yanked the vent cover back on, hoping that the duct tape would stick for long enough for them to get away.

Howard moved quickly, pulling Randy along after him. The ninja did his best to help his friend, but he was so dehydrated and in so much pain that it was nearly impossible.

Viceroy, behind them, kept a hand on Randy's foot, pushing him carefully after Howard as the boy pulled his friend. Heidi, who was just behind Viceroy, kept looking anxiously at her watch.

Howard wasn't paying attention as he backtracked, so that when he reached the end of the vent he nearly fell out before he caught himself. The boy quickly hopped out and reached back into the vent, pulling Randy gently by his upper arms.

Viceroy took his legs and managed to step out of the vent without dropping Randy. Heidi fairly leapt out of the vent and quickly taped the cover up, glancing at her watch as she did so. She sighed in relief.

"Whew. We had thirty seconds to spare," she whispered before turning around to look at the other three with her.

Howard and Viceroy had placed Randy on the ground and Howard was leaning over his friend in worry. "We can't just drag him through the streets, even as Randy. People would still wonder what the heck happened."

Viceroy thought for a moment, and then snapped his fingers. "My car is still in the employee parking lot. Give me two minutes."

The siblings glanced at each other and nodded. "Please hurry," Heidi said, kneeling next to Howard.

Willem nodded and darted from the alley, glancing around briefly as he stepped out, to make sure that no robots were around.

He sprinted to the parking garage and leapt into his car, spinning the key in the ignition. It was as he was leaving that he remembered the camera recognition system. Anyone could park in the garage, but they had no way of getting out unless they either purchased a guest pass (for twenty dollars) or worked for McFist. That in itself deterred random people from parking there.

However, Viceroy knew that McFist would have a robot or something monitoring the cameras (someone had to monitor them for twenty four hours, to make sure people could get out), and he also knew that McFist would have put down some kind of warning not to let Viceroy leave.

The man hesitated, pondering for the first time what he was actually doing. His old self would have just bolted the second he had escaped, leaving the kids to do whatever they could. But since they had helped him so much-first telling his wife to leave and then rescuing him, when they could have just left him hanging there-he wasn't inclined to leave them where they were.

Viceroy gritted his teeth, spun the wheel, and smashed through the barrier that he would have had to wait at if he had used the video recognition.

The strong wood was no match for Viceroy's self-made car going at thirty miles per hour. It splintered and rained down over the man. He gave a wicked grin as an alarm started blaring and flung the wheel to the right, screeching to a halt outside the alley, where Howard and Heidi were waiting with Randy between them.

Viceroy hit a button and the back door slid open. "Hurry, get him in quickly!"

They did as he asked and then Howard, being the larger of the two, jumped into the front seat as Viceroy peeled down the block, gorilla robots hot on their tail.

"They're going to follow us!" Heidi protested, turning around and peering out the back window anxiously. "We can't lead them to his house!"

Viceroy smirked and, keeping his eyes on the road, leaned down and pressed a button as they flew around a corner.

Immediately, the car made a funny sound and began smoking. Heidi let out a little shriek as the exterior of the car disappeared and was replaced with the simple features of a minivan. Viceroy automatically slowed down to soccer mom speed and grinned in elation as the gorilla robots that had been chasing them whipped around the corner and passed them without a single glance.

Howard was sitting there gaping at the dashboard. "That. Was. So. BRUCE! Dude, I totally want this car!"

Viceroy snorted and spared a glance at Howard. "Howard, it took me months to build this car. Even the license plate changes when I hit that button. It is so intricate that I'm not even sure I could rebuild it if I wanted to."

Heidi chuckled in the backseat and Viceroy looked at her via the rearview. "Does it always change into a minivan?" she asked.

Willem shook his head and took the next road that Howard indicated. "Nah. But it always becomes an inconspicuous vehicle. If you're on the run, a minivan is much less suspicious than, say, a Ferrari."

Heidi nodded and then turned back to Randy, her eyes filled with worry.

Viceroy glanced over at Howard, who was glancing over his shoulder in concern. "Um, Howard, I kind of need directions here."

Howard shook his head and turned back to face the front. "Right. Sorry, Viceroy. Um, next left."

Viceroy took said left and then glanced down at Howard, whose face was drawn with worry. "Howard? What's the problem?"

Howard winced and looked over at the man. "It's just…my mom. What if McFist goes after her to get back at us?"

Heidi made a choking sound in the back seat and Viceroy grimaced. "Maybe you should call her and tell her to get to safety."

Howard hesitated. "I don't know. She doesn't even know that I'm safe."

Viceroy almost stomped on the brake. "She what?" he cried, glancing quickly at Howard before making the next right, as indicated by the boy.

Howard smiled thinly. "She'd freak out and never let me out of her sight if she knew I was safe. We wanted to get Randy back first."

Viceroy shook his head. "Well, if she doesn't know you're safe, then she'll probably still have cops around the house."

"That's just it," Heidi said softly. Viceroy looked back at her before returning his attention to the road. "If she's got cops there, and McFist's robots come and the ninja doesn't…"

She trailed off and glanced down at Randy almost tenderly. Viceroy grimaced and turned right. Howard pointed at the third house down. "There. That's Randy's house."

Viceroy pulled into the driveway and hadn't even shut the engine off when the front door of the pleasant little house was thrown open and a middle aged woman, probably in her late thirties or early forties, with deep purple, graying hair and bright blue eyes, rushed out and jumped off the porch, missing the stairs all together and hitting the grass at a run.

Viceroy turned off the car and hopped out quickly as the woman-Randy's mother, he assumed-strode up to them and crushed Howard in a hug, her eyes teary and relieved, but also angry.

"Howard, I'm so glad you're safe. But what the heck were you two thinking, leaving without telling me?" she cried, shaking his shoulders lightly.

Howard smiled as Viceroy pulled open the door of the van and Heidi tumbled out, leaning back in to grab her backpack. "I mean, we left you a note. And besides, we got Randy back," he said, gesturing into the backseat.

Randy's mother cried out in delight and Viceroy quickly stopped her from leaping into the van and crushing her son. "Hang on, ma'am. You can't just leap in there and hug him. He's got some broken ribs and is almost unconscious. We need to get him inside."

Mrs. Cunningham-at least, Viceroy guessed that that was her last name by the way Howard had used it back in the torture room-frowned at him. "And just who are you?"

"Chill, Mrs. Cunningham," Howard said gently as he and Heidi tried to get Randy out of the backseat without being seen by any neighbors. "He did help us save him, after all."

Mrs. Cunningham looked at viceroy with a much softer look. "Thank you so much."

Viceroy nodded and stuck his hand out. "Willem Viceroy, ex-evil scientist and inventor, at your service, Mrs. Cunningham."

She hesitated a moment before taking the hand with a smile. "It's Susan. And thank you."

* * *

**Last chapter for about a week. I'm going on a trip! YAY! CREATION HERE I COME!**

**Let me know what you thought!**

**(Psst. That means review in subtle author language)**


	14. Wake Up

**CHAPTER 14-Hey look! I'm not dead!**

**On the contrary, I went to Creation and had the BEST TIME EVER. It rained like the whole time, but it was epic. And the one day it didn't rain, everyone got sunburned. Of course. **

**And yeah, yeah. The author language wasn't subtle. It was a joke, you silly people!**

**Living Encyclopedia: *Slaps forehead* No. Not at all. **

**Guest: Haha. I can see that. **

**Blossom3345: No sequel, sadly. This will all wrap up in the end; you'll see. **

**Guest: Whoa. Calm down. Don't break anymore phones on my behalf (although I'm flattered). Someone hit the Cray button. Haha. Inside jokes. **

**Guesty: Well…that could work. Not in my stories, cause he's married, but in others, yes. **

**BTW, for anyone who hasn't figured this out yet, I respond to reviews in the order received: i.e. if you were the first reviewer, I respond to you first. If you haven't figured that out…YUR DUM! Haha. More inside jokes. **

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. **

* * *

_She hesitated a moment before taking the hand with a smile. "It's Susan. And thank you."_

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Howard and Heidi gently deposited Randy onto his bed, adjusting him so that his full weight was off his ribs as much as it possibly could be. Mrs. Cunningham and Viceroy stood off to the side, watching nervously.

"I hate to say it," Willem murmured, making everyone look at him, "but McFist is probably going to be looking for us. He won't stop. Now that he knows you know, Howard…"

The man trailed off and Howard shook his head. "We'll figure it out later, Viceroy. Right now, you need to chillax and Randy needs to…well, wake up."

The group turned to look at the boy. All they could see of course were his eyes, and they were shut tightly. Susan stepped forward. "Maybe we should take the mask off," she suggested, "you know, so that we can see how bad…he actually is."

The woman gulped a little and glanced away. Heidi put a gentle hand on her shoulder and nodded to Howard.

The boy leaned over and slid a thumb underneath Randy's mask. Viceroy almost protested that the boy wouldn't be able to pull the mask off, but to his utter astonishment, Howard easily pulled off the covering.

Blinding red light filled the room and when Viceroy looked up again, Howard was holding the black and red mask in his fingers and a tall teenager with dark purple hair was lying on the bed.

Before Willem could even get over his amazement, his eyes were drawn to the boy on the bed.

A few of his fingers were bent backwards, and his face was covered with, incredibly, tear marks and scratches. The edges of his hair looked almost charred from electricity. Viceroy ran his eyes down to the boy's torso and he winced.

It was obvious that he had broken ribs. There were also several deep cuts on his stomach that had bled through his shirt. His legs seemed ok, from what the man could see, as did his feet. Viceroy glanced over at Mrs. Cunningham.

Her lip quivered, but her eyes were stern and full of anger. "Heidi, get the first aid kit. Viceroy, if you would be so kind as to get some water? And Howard, I want you to do your best to talk to Randy, honey. I'm going to go get some towels."

Viceroy followed Mrs. Cunningham from the room and Howard seated himself at the edge of the bed.

He wondered for a moment if Randy would be able to talk to him. After all, the boy wasn't wearing the suit.

To be sure, Howard pulled the Nomicon from Heidi's bag and slid it under Randy's right hand.

He then leaned over and crossed his legs under him, shutting his eyes and letting darkness wash over him. "Come on Cunningham," he murmured, both out loud and in his head. "Talk to me."

He relaxed his shoulders and slowly, the sounds of the outside world faded; the birds stopped singing, the cars stopped honking, the dogs stopped barking, and the branches stopped hitting the window.

When Howard opened his eyes again, he was no longer in Randy's room, but he wasn't in the Nomicon either. Rather, he was in a plain white room with a deep brown floor and one door. Howard glanced around curiously, and, seeing nothing else, he headed for the door.

Before he reached it, however, it opened and Randy walked inside, rubbing his head and staring vacantly at something over Howard's shoulder.

"Cunningham?" Howard said nervously.

Randy's eyes squinted and he smacked the side of his head, like he was trying to figure out who was talking. Howard walked over to him and leaned in his face. "Cunningham!" he called a little more urgently. "Come on, it's me, Howard! Wake up, man!"

The boy mumbled something under his breath that sounded something like 'peanut butter monkeys,' but Howard ignored him. He was honestly starting to freak out. "Cunningham, wake up!"

The taller of the two shook his head and turned around, starting back for the door. Howard didn't know what was behind it, but he had a feeling that it would take much longer for Randy to wake up if he went through it. And it wouldn't be the same if he did.

"Randy, please," Howard pleaded softly.

The boy stopped and his back stiffened. Randy turned around, his head buried in his hands, his fingers massaging his forehead. He dropped to his knees and Howard darted to his side. "Randy?"

Randy looked up, his chest heaving, and his eyes finally focused on Howard. "H-Howard?"

Howard sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Man, are you ok?"

Randy shook his head slowly and looked around. "I don't know. Where are we?"

The orange haired one sighed. "Darn it. I was hoping you could tell me. We're not in the Nomicon…or your room, which is where we actually are in real life."

Randy gave him a funny look and Howard shrugged. "Well it is. I'm thinking that maybe we're in your subconscious or something. It sounds crazy but…yeah."

Randy rolled his eyes. "Maybe."

"But man, you've got to wake up. Like, your mom is seriously worried about you," Howard said.

The ninja shook his head. "But I don't know how to wake up, Howard. Like, that door doesn't lead to me waking up. I know it."

Howard frowned and glanced around, blinking in surprise. "What about that door?"

The two teens turned towards a door that had not been there a moment ago. Rather than being plain white, like the other one was, this one was a deep mahogany, with vines curling up and down it. A sign above it announced it as an exit.

Randy looked at Howard and shrugged. "Worth a shot."

Howard gave him a smile and stepped back as Randy pulled open the door. A bright white light flashed through the room and when Howard opened his eyes again, he was once more sitting at the foot of Randy's bed, with his sister, Randy's mother, and Viceroy looking down at him in concern.

"Howard, you ok?" Heidi asked.

Howard opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly Randy sat straight up, his eyes flying open. He looked at everyone in the room with surprise before biting his lip in pain and gasping. "Gah…man, my ribs!" he whispered.

His mother darted over and quickly pushed him down on the bed again, where Randy continued to bite his lip and suck in his gasps of pain. His eyes travelled over the people in the room and stopped on Viceroy. The ninja gave the man a thin smile and then looked at his mother.

"Mom? How long was I out?"

Heidi coughed. "Ever since we got you out of the vent. You passed out when Viceroy went to grab his car."

"The brucest car ever," Howard clarified.

Randy gave a small chuckle and rubbed his stomach lightly. "Man…I really need to spend some time in the Nomicon," he muttered.

Howard handed the book over to Randy, it having fallen back to the floor when the teenager woke up. "Here you go man."

Randy took it slowly and looked up at his mom. "Don't worry, Mom," he said, seeing the worry in his mothers eyes. "I'll be out of here, I promise."

Susan smiled lightly and nodded, kissing Randy gently on the forehead. The foursome left the room as Randy cracked open the book and fell unconscious once more.

Howard and Heidi left Susan and Viceroy in the kitchen and flopped on the couch in the living room. "So," Heidi said softly, "what do you think is going to happen now that Viceroy knows?"

Howard sighed and rubbed his forehead wearily, looking nothing like the video game loving, nacho eating Howard that Heidi knew. "I don't know, Heidi. All I know is that I don't want to leave Norrisville. But McFist is probably out for all of us now, and it won't take even that idiot very long to make the connection between me and Randy, and then Randy and the ninja."

He ran a hand through his hair and glanced sideways at his sister, a small smirk spreading up his face. Heidi caught it immediately. "What? What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," Howard said nonchalantly, becoming the annoying brother Heidi was used to once more. "It's just, well…haha. No, you don't need to know."

Heidi scowled at him. "Oh, come on Howard, what is it?"

Howard smiled devilishly. "Remember your little crush on Randy?"

Heidi turned bright red and she glanced down, avoiding her brother's triumphant gaze. "What about it, dipstick?"

Howard snickered and hopped off the couch, heading for the door. "I did tell you I heard _everything _Randy ever said to Viceroy, right? Did I ever tell you that he talked about you?"

Howard looked up and yelped, turning on his heel and running for his life as Heidi chased him through the house.

They breezed through the kitchen and Susan gave a tight laugh. "Those two are insane," she mumbled, taking a gulp of coffee (her fifth cup that day alone).

Viceroy smiled and raised his own mug to his lips. "Well, they did get their friend back. And he will be ok."

He glanced at the floor and Susan sighed. "What are you going to do, Willem? About McFist? You know he's going to come after you."

Viceroy nodded and set his mug down. "Yeah, I know. As long as Alice, Charlotte, and Holly are safe, then I don't care."

Susan rubbed her chin nervously and tapped her fingers against the side of her mug. "You wouldn't…you wouldn't consider giving Randy up to protect yourself, would you?"

Viceroy whipped his head around and stared at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding? If I had been going to do that, don't you think I would have done it when he first told me? These kids helped me, when they could have left me. I'm not going to betray them now."

Susan was a tad stunned, but she merely smiled and took another sip of her coffee. The phone rang next to her head, scaring the woman half to death, and she picked it up quickly.

"Hello?" she said, setting down her mug in the sink.

She listened for a moment, and then smiled brightly, turning to Viceroy. She held the phone out to him and he took it with a curious look on his face.

"It's Alice," Susan said with a smile. "She's safe."

* * *

**Yay! They're safe! That's one problem down, like…four hundred million to go. No, Jk. I actually think that this story will be over within three or four chapters. No less, that's for sure. **

**And oh, Howard. Whatever shall be done with that boy?**

**Review, please!**


	15. Where Do We Go From Here?

**CHAPTER 15- Yay! There is actually only one chapter left, crazily enough! I already have it typed and will put it up in the next week or so. Come on everyone, this story is in the top three most reviewed for Randy Cunningham! Let's see if we can go even farther (plus I like reviews. They make me smile)**

**SariSpy56: Sadly, no. Mac Antfee is insane….**

**CupidsLover: McFist? Not much…but that's because of what Viceroy does (:**

**Rachaelninja10: That would be interesting….**

**Guest: Calm yourself. Haha. Teen Titans. My brother was watching that yesterday…I was really confused. **

**Guest: Well thank you (: That makes me feel good.**

**And congrats again to Living Encyclopedia for being the 100****th**** reviewer! And for reviewing like all of my stories ever. I will find you one day, and I shall freaking give you a reward. I don't know what yet, but I declare it! **

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. **

* * *

"_It's Alice," Susan said with a smile. "She's safe."_

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Randy lay in bed for a long time after he woke up, not telling anyone that he was awake. He just needed some alone time to sort through his thoughts.

His ribs were back to normal, but since the Nomicon had used all of its healing power on Randy's ribs, he still had two broken fingers and a bunch of cuts and bruises. Honestly, Randy couldn't care less. As long as his ribs were back to normal, he could live with a couple of broken fingers. They'd be back to normal soon, anyway.

But now he just stared at the ceiling, pondering everything that had happened in the last two days.

Howard had been allowed in the Nomicon. Randy didn't understand that. At all. He had also been able to remove his mask. As far as Randy knew, no one had ever been able to do that before. It was a precautionary measure so that if the ninja were ever unconscious, his identity would not be discovered.

Randy frowned, and pulled the Nomicon to his side, holding it as best he could with his broken fingers. Luckily, they were both on his left hand, and he was right handed.

Randy flipped open the Nomicon gently. "Ok, Nomicon; how come Howard was able to do all this stuff that he shouldn't have been able to do?"

Randy's eyes crossed and he fell back to the bed as the rest of him dove into the Nomicon. Randy landed solidly on the ground and looked up, swinging his purple hair out of his eyes.

Swirling gold letters ran across the area in front of him.

_The sidekick to the ninja is nearly as vital as the ninja himself. _

Randy cocked his head in slight confusion. "So…Howard is just as important to me as I am to Norrisville? But...I don't get it. I thought you said it was bad to tell people about me being the ninja?"

The floor dropped out from under him and he floated in mid-air as more words swooped in around his head.

_That person who aids the ninja becomes almost the ninja himself, and may do things the ninja does as well, so long as the ninja trusts that person with his or her life. _

Randy's eyes widened slightly. "So…Howard can remove my mask and go into the Nomicon because I can. Obviously, he can't become the ninja…this is great! So he's like my little sidekick!"

One of the sketches of the ninja glared at him and Randy quickly corrected himself. "Ok, Howard is way more than a sidekick. And you're right, Nomicon. I do trust him with my life."

Randy could not believe he had just admitted that. But to his surprise, he found that he meant it. He smiled brightly. "Thanks, Nomicon."

He shut his eyes, and when he opened them again he was back in his bedroom. Viceroy was leaning against the door, watching him closely. Randy slowly shut the Nomicon and sat up.

"Hey," he said carefully, his eyes searching the man.

Viceroy nodded and stepped into the room all the way, walking over to Randy's bed and sitting in a chair at the side of it. He coughed gently before speaking. "So, uh….my wife and kids are safe. They're at my mother's house in Minnesota."

Randy smiled. "That's good."

Willem nodded. "Yeah…listen, Randy, I've been thinking. After what your mother and Howard and Heidi said, about McFist finding you…I don't want you all to have to move, and I certainly don't want to move either."

Randy raised an eyebrow and leaned back against his headboard. "What are you saying, Viceroy?"

The man rubbed his head. "Look, I'm an evil scientist…what if I could build some kind of device to take us all back before this happened?"

Randy frowned slowly. "Like…a time machine?"

Viceroy shrugged. "Something like that. And I'll leave you enough memory to know not to send Howard home, so that McFist and I don't kidnap him."

Randy grimaced and looked down. "You realize that if you do that, you'll go back to trying to destroy me, right?"

Viceroy pursed his lips and looked out the window. "Yeah, I do. And I'm sorry, but I feel like this would be easiest. McFist will never stop trying to find us, kid. I know him. He's been after the ninja for over twenty years. In that time there's been at least five different ninja's. He's never caught one, but he's not going to stop now."

Randy sighed. "I know. And…if you think it will work, Viceroy, then do it. But you have to swear to leave me enough memory to keep Howard in school. We don't want the same thing to happen all over again."

Viceroy nodded. "Gotcha. Thank you, Randy."

He stood up and left the room with a last smile at the boy. Howard zipped in seconds after and quickly shut and locked the door. He was panting and his face was bright red. Randy sat straight up.

"Whoa, Howard, what the heck happened?" the boy cried in worry.

Howard held up a hand. "Don't worry….Heidi's just trying to kill me."

Randy snickered and leaned back in bed as Howard looked up with a smirk. "Hey, man, you remember how I told you I could hear everything you told Viceroy?"

The ninja frowned and nodded slowly. He froze a moment later and groaned, slapping a pillow to his face. "Great," he mumbled through the thick fluff. "So you heard everything I said about your sister."

Howard smiled thinly and pulled the pillow away from Randy's face. "Hey man, I'm cool with it, ok? If you like my sister…well, it's weird, but it's not the worst thing to happen in the world."

Randy gave Howard a sideways smile. "Seriously?"

Howard shrugged. "Hey man, maybe you should talk to Heidi about this, not me."

Randy winced. "I don't know, Howard. Your sister never really liked me that much."

Howard just stared at his friend for a moment, and then he burst into laughter, loud guffaws that could probably be heard down the street. "Oh, man, that's good!" he cried, slapping his knee. "Hahaha! She never….oh, Cunningham, you should be a comedian!"

He stumbled out of the room laughing, leaving Randy in utter confusion. Heidi walked in after Howard left, looking after her brother with a weird expression on her face. "What on earth was that about?" she asked Randy, jerking a thumb over her shoulder.

Randy rolled his eyes. "Beats me. I told him that you were never the biggest fan of me, and he said I should be a comedian."

He looked up at Heidi with a grin, only to find that her face had turned bright red, and she was staring anxiously at the floor. Randy cocked his head. "Heidi?"

The girl looked up with a sheepish smile that pierced Randy a little. He frowned and slowly ran a hand through his head.

"You…you aren't the biggest fan of me, are you?" he asked cautiously.

Heidi let out a short laugh and sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. Randy crinkled his eyebrows and studied her carefully.

"Heidi…you don't...you don't _like _me, do you?"

Heidi's lips twisted into a grim smile. "So what if I did?"

Randy opened his mouth and found that he didn't have a response to that. He rubbed his chin in thought and then sighed, dropping his hand to the side.

"Howard talked to you about this, didn't he?" he asked.

Heidi smiled thinly. "Yeah. You know what, I'll just go."

She turned to leave but Randy quickly sat up. "No, wait, Heidi, hang on!"

The girl stopped, her fingers twisting over the doorknob anxiously. "What, Randy? Do you want to make fun of me? Ridicule me? Tell the whole freaking school?"

She spun to face him, and Randy was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "What? Heidi, no, of course not! I just…I wanted to know, because that's what Howard was talking to me about."

Heidi softened a little and looked at him in confusion. "Huh?"

Randy shrugged sheepishly. "I…when I was stuck in the torture room, Viceroy and I got to talking…and I told him I…I might like you. You know, like, _like._"

He could feel his face heating up and he ducked his head, not wanting to look at Heidi's expression.

Heidi chewed on her lip for a long time before walking back over to the bed side. "Really?"

Randy peeked up at her through his hair and gave her a small smile. "Yeah. But I…I wasn't sure. You know, if I really liked you. And Heidi, I'm still not sure."

Heidi gulped a little and nodded. "I understand, Randy."

"Besides," Randy said softly, the thought having just occurred to him, "Viceroy is making a machine right now so that none of this will ever have happened."

Heidi stiffened. "Wait. So I won't know that you're the ninja anymore?"

Randy gave her a sad smile. "No. I'm sorry, Heidi. But…we don't really have much of a choice."

Heidi sighed and crossed her arms, staring bleakly out the window. "So…I won't remember any of this?"

"No," Randy said with a shake of his head. "None of us will. I'll remember enough to know that Howard shouldn't go home, and that will be it."

Heidi gave a thin smile. "Well that's just perfect. If you were ever in trouble again…you would tell me, wouldn't you Randy?"

Randy gave her a smile. "Of course I would, Heidi. You should know that by now."

Heidi shook her head. "I'm not really sure what I know anymore, Randy. But thanks. I'll go help Viceroy."

She hesitated a moment, and then leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. She darted for the door and with a quick smile said, "You know, since we're not going to remember anything."

Randy watched her leave, his fingers reaching up to brush his cheek. He sighed and thunked his head backwards.

Great. Now _he _wasn't sure about anything.

* * *

**Poor Randy. All confuzzled. **

**And yes, a time machine. What did you want me to do?**

**I still haven't calmed down from watching Happy Birthday Isabella on YouTube. The quality of the video was awful, but it was the best episode EVER. YOU MUST ALL WATCH IT. **

**Still spazzing, so review and I will calm down!**

**(Anyone catch the little Phineas and Ferb hint in there? Heehee. Kind of a duh moment)**


	16. A Corny Ending

**CHAPTER 16-Last chapter! Crazy, right? **

**Speaking of crazy, I have calmed down, but for those of you who went to see what the heck I was spazzing about…didn't that warrant some spazzing? **

**Rosezelene Ersa: Lost episodes are cool. Except when you can't find them and you really want to watch them…. (:**

**Guest: Smile. If you watch Happy Birthday Isabella, you'll have a bunch of new moments in your mind. I do :D**

**Living Encyclopedia: And? What did you think? (: (Ignoring the quality, of course)**

**Guest: I can't really write for Julian…he creeps me out. **

**MasterDuelistMichael: That's a cool thought, but I wasn't planning a sequel for this, just because I feel like it would be very repetitive. Glad to know you would read another one of my stories, though!**

**(More Phineas and Ferb hints in this chapter. I'm insane)**

**I don't own Randy Cunningham. **

* * *

_Great. Now he wasn't sure about anything. _

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Viceroy sighed in satisfaction, nodding thankfully to Heidi and Howard. "I think it's finally done," he said, gesturing to the coffee pot sized machine in front of them.

Howard cocked his head. "So, this is going to rewind time?"

Viceroy nodded. "I mean, it should. I hope it will. I found the blueprints online, and modified them so that the machine was smaller. Hopefully those kids the blueprints were from knew what they were doing."

Howard smiled thinly and looked over at his sister.

He hadn't missed how she had come into the kitchen with a bright red face and a grin on her cheeks. He could only figure that something had happened with Randy. He didn't dare ask, for fear that he would get his butt whooped.

Susan leaned against the sink. "So, none of this will ever have happened?" she said slowly, massaging her temples.

"That's right," Viceroy said with a nod. "Hopefully McFist won't remember a thing. I'm hoping I'll have some nagging feeling to stop him from kidnapping Howard. And if not, Randy is the backup."

Randy himself was sitting at the table, unable to help with the machine because of his broken fingers. He had been jotting down a couple of notes on a piece of paper with his good hand, and now he slid the paper into the Nomicon. His mother looked at him curiously.

"Randy, what was that?"

Randy smiled thinly. "Just some notes I jotted down about what Howard was able to do with the Nomicon."

"Won't they disappear when we go back in time?" Howard asked curiously.

Randy shrugged. "I'm hoping that since they're in the Nomicon, they'll stay there. It's a pretty unpredictable book, you know."

Howard smirked and nodded.

Viceroy grinned. "So, you ready to try this out? And Howard, since we'll be going back in time, your mother will stop freaking out."

"Good," Heidi muttered, "because she has left like thirty messages on my phone."

Viceroy smiled and nodded to Randy. "Nice knowing you, Ninja," he said.

Randy grinned. "You too, Viceroy."

Willem took a deep breath, squished his right eye shut, and pressed the button on the coffee time machine.

* * *

Randy Cunningham shut his locker and swung his backpack over his shoulder, letting it dangle by one strap, something his mother would give him grief about when the strap finally ripped. But until then, he would continue to do it.

"So, Howard, ready for some epic grave smashing when we get home?" Randy asked his best friend, a grin on his face.

That is, it was on his face until Howard turned around and shut his own locker, revealing his pale face and swollen eyes. His nose was bright red, and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "Sure thing, Cunningham."

Randy's jaw dropped. "What the juice, Howard, you are so sick! You should go home! Why didn't you say something?"

Howard coughed weakly and leaned heavily against his locker. "Man, the only thing worse than going to school is missing school."

Randy cocked his head. "Not sure I follow, buddy."

Howard sighed. "When you miss school, you have twice as much work to do as if you came to school in the first place."

Randy nodded. "Ah. But Howard, you look miserable. You should-"

He froze and frowned, scrunching his eyebrows together. Something nagged at the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite place it. He glanced up at Howard, who was looking at him wearily.

"I should what, Cunningham?" Howard asked, coughing into his fist.

Randy rubbed his forehead. Something was telling him that if Howard went home, something bad would happen. He didn't know what, but he knew it would be bad.

"You should…go to the nurse and lie down. That way, you can go back to class if you feel better."

Howard looked at him in confusion. "Well…if you say so, Cunningham. I thought you were going to say that I should go home."

Randy shook his head. "No. I have this weird feeling that if you go home, something bad is going to happen."

Howard sneezed and took the tissue that Randy offered to him. "Well, since you are the ninja, I'll listen to your advice."

Randy walked his friend to the nurse's office and got a pass from the kindly woman so he could go back to class without getting in trouble.

He was about halfway there when he ran into Heidi. "Watch where you're going, Sandy!" the girl said in annoyance.

Randy rolled his eyes. "Really, Heidi. It's Randy. By the way, Howard's at the nurse, in case you care."

Heidi's features softened immediately. "Of course I care, you dummy! Why?"

"He wasn't feeling well," Randy said, grimacing as the bell rang. "I should go. See you, Heidi!"

Heidi nodded and left Randy on the stairs.

There were no monster attacks all day, and Randy couldn't help but wonder what was going on as he walked to his last period class. But hey, he wasn't going to question it.

* * *

Viceroy leaned back in his chair, studying the newest monster that he had made. He had been working extra slow today. He wasn't sure why, but he had also stopped McFist from driving around the city.

Willem sighed and tapped his screwdriver against his chin. There was something nagging at the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

All he knew was that he didn't want to destroy the ninja quite as badly now as he had before.

And that the coffee machine was looking really weird.

* * *

Randy sighed as he and Howard walked home together. Howard had indeed gotten better in the nurses office. Randy couldn't help but think that maybe it was because he had accidentally left the Nomicon with Howard.

Why that would help him, though, Randy didn't know.

He dropped Howard off at his house with a smile. "Man, you know you could have ridden the bus home."

Howard shrugged and sniffled a little. "Yeah. But man, I hate the bus. See ya, Cunningham."

Randy waved and started for his house, absentmindedly flipping the pages of the Nomicon. A piece of paper slipped out of the binding and fell to the ground, and for a moment, Randy panicked, thinking that he had broken the ancient book.

When he leaned down and saw his own handwriting, however, he sighed in relief. Thank goodness.

He frowned and climbed his front porch, sitting on the steps to read the note. It wasn't much, but it just about blew Randy's mind.

_To my future self:_

_Just a few notes to help me out later-_

_First, Howard is your sidekick. He can go into the Nomicon and take off my…our…your? mask, and there is a way to talk to him through telepathy. _

_Second, Heidi likes you…me…us. Whatever. She just pretends that she doesn't. If she were ever to find out who the ninja is, she wouldn't tell._

_Third, Viceroy would keep the secret if he and his family were in danger. His wife and twin daughters. He's really not that bad. _

_That's all I can think of. Good luck._

Randy sat back slowly, leaning against his porch railing. He wasn't sure if he believed most of what he had just read, even if it was from himself. Weird.

Randy frowned and shut his eyes, trying to picture Howard in his head. _"Howard? Man if you can hear me, than this is the brucest thing in the history of bruce."_

Randy waited a few moments, and then shrugged and stood up. His hand was on the doorknob when a response came.

"_Cunningham? No honking way! I'm not going crazy, am I?"_

Randy slowly looked down at the note in his hand, and a smile slid over his face. _"No, Howard, you're not going crazy."_

He began grinning from ear to ear and he bounced into his house with a very perky attitude. His mother came out of the kitchen and smiled, kissing him on the forehead. "Why so excited, honey?"

Randy smirked and tucked the note into his back pocket. "Mom, I got this note from my future self…apparently. It says that Howard is my sidekick…among other things," he mumbled, his face turning red.

He looked back up at his mother, his eyebrows crinkled. "Mom, do I need a sidekick? I don't want Howard to be in danger or anything."

His mother ruffled his hair. "Honey, if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that every ninja needs a sidekick."

Randy smiled. "You're so corny, Mom."

* * *

**Yay! The end! I think that went really well, what about you? **

**THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED, FAVORITED, AND FOLLOWED THIS STORY OR ME! YOU GUYS ARE THE REASON I WRITE! **

**You all freaking rock!Pat yourselves on the back. Right now. (:**

**PFTones3482 is out. Peace, love, and of course….**

**SMOKE BOMB!**


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